A Royal Bengal Tiger that entered a farmer’s house in Jharkhand’s Ranchi district was released into an enclosure at Palamau Tiger Reserve (PTR) on Thursday morning, a forest official said.
Initially believed to be from neighbouring West Bengal, the tiger was later identified as a resident of PTR.
"We sent the animal to a soft release centre for observation around 8am. It will be freed into the wild later," PTR Field Director S R Natesh told PTI.
The male tiger, named ‘Quila’ by forest officials, was first spotted near Palamu Fort in October 2023.
"Since it was first sighted near Palamu Quila (fort), we named it Quila for identification," said PTR Deputy Director Prajesh Jena.
The big cat triggered panic in Mardu village under Silli block, around 65 km from Ranchi, after it entered the home of one Purandar Mahto early Wednesday morning.
The area falls under Muri police outpost and is close to the West Bengal border.
A joint rescue team from PTR and the forest department captured the animal after a 13-hour operation.
"After a primary health check-up in Ranchi, the tiger was carefully transported to PTR, a nine-hour journey," Jena said.
He added that the animal's health was examined again by a team of veterinarians on Thursday morning before its release.
"We matched its stripe patterns and other evidence with our recorded documents, including camera trap images, and confirmed it is the same tiger photographed in October 2023 near Palamu Fort," Jena said.
Jena noted that the big cat is sharp, having travelled almost the entire internal tiger corridor in Jharkhand.
"In the past two years, it has visited Chatra, Hazaribag, Palamu, and Gumla, and returned. It has never harmed a human. About six months ago, it reached Khunti and wandered to Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary in East Singhbhum district, but couldn't find its way home. The tiger was moving between Dalma and West Bengal," he added.
Recently, it was traced in Khunti, attempting to return home.
"In the process, it got trapped in a house in Ranchi's Silli. It harmed no one there," Jena said.
Jena claimed that PTR currently has five tigers, based on camera images and other evidence.
According to the 2023 All India Tiger Estimation (AITE) report, the reserve had one tiger.
Established in 1974 under Project Tiger, the 1,129 sq-km Palamau Tiger Reserve once boasted a thriving population of big cats — 22 in 1972 and a peak of 71 in 1995, according to former Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Jharkhand, Pradeep Kumar’s 2016 book 'Main Baagh Hoon'.
Thereafter, the population of big cats declined to 44 in 1997, 34 in 2002, 10 in 2010, and 3 in 2014, according to the book.
Wildlife experts cite human interference, domestic cattle, and a reduced prey base as major hurdles to tiger population growth.
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