A tigress that had been eluding authorities in Madhya Pradesh’s Pench Tiger Reserve for 24 days was successfully captured and airlifted to Rajasthan on Sunday in a coordinated inter-state relocation effort aimed at strengthening tiger conservation and genetic diversity, officials said.
The three-year-old tigress, identified as PN-224, was surrounded by elephants from morning till afternoon before being tranquillised under veterinary supervision. She was then transported in a rescue vehicle to the Sukatra airstrip in Seoni district.
An Indian Air Force MI-17 helicopter airlifted the tigress, along with her cage, at around 4.55 pm. Due to security considerations, the helicopter first landed in Jaipur after a flight lasting about two and a half hours.
From there, the tigress was transported by road to Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan’s Bundi district, where she was released into the Bajalia enclosure on Monday morning.
"Pench tigress PN-224 was captured from the wild and airlifted from Sukatra airstrip to Rajasthan. This relocation will not only increase the tiger population in Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve but will also help strengthen genetic diversity among different tiger landscapes. This operation is an excellent example of scientific wildlife management and technical prowess," Pench Tiger Reserve deputy director Rajneesh Singh said.
"India has achieved another major success in wildlife conservation and inter-state coordination. The most significant aspect of this entire operation was the safe transport of the tigress to her new home via an Indian Air Force MI-17 helicopter. This relocation operation was conducted systematically and scientifically for the past month," Singh informed.
A team of experts accompanied the tigress during the aerial transfer, including Pench Tiger Reserve wildlife veterinarian Dr Akhilesh Mishra, assistant director Gurleen Kaur, Rukhad ranger Lokesh Pawar, Wildlife Conservation Trust veterinarian Dr Prashant Deshmukh, and forest officials from Rajasthan, to ensure her safe journey.
Forest officials and veterinarians fit a radio collar and collect samples from a tranquilised tiger during the country's first inter-state tiger translocation operation, in Seoni, Madhya Pradesh.
Officials said the tigress was located using modern AI-based camera traps and motion sensor cameras, with around 50 cameras deployed to closely monitor her movement, health and behaviour. Field staff from the Kurai and Rukhad ranges played a crucial role, patrolling daily from 6 am to 6 pm.
The tranquilisation process was carried out under the leadership of Dr Akhilesh Mishra and Dr Prashant Deshmukh, with support from experts of Jabalpur Veterinary College and field biologists. Assistant director Gurleen Kaur led the mission during the transfer.
The operation was facilitated through close coordination between the Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan Forest Departments. Rajasthan’s Chief Conservator of Forests Suganaram Jat and veterinarian Dr Tejinder had been camping in Pench for the past eight days to oversee preparations.
Officials said the entire process was conducted under the guidance of Pench Tiger Reserve field director Devprasad J and deputy director Rajneesh Kumar Singh.
Following her relocation, officials said the tigress’ health parameters, including temperature, heartbeat and respiration, were found to be normal.
"Her health is being continuously monitored,” officials said, adding that preparations for the relocation had been underway for weeks.