More than three decades after tigers went extinct in Gujarat, a wandering big cat has made Ratanmahal Wildlife Sanctuary its new home, raising hopes for the revival of the striped animal in the state, known as the last abode of Asiatic lions.
The settling of the tiger has prompted State Forest and Environment Minister Arjun Modhwadia to announce that Gujarat has become the abode of three big cats- the lion, leopard, and tiger.
Modhwadia said tigers were once found in large numbers in Gujarat; however, they eventually disappeared with the passage of time.
"Now, forest officials have confirmed that a tiger that wandered into Gujarat nearly nine months ago has made Ratanmahal Wildlife Sanctuary in Dahod district its new home", Modhwadia told reporters.
He said the big cat was first captured on the CCTV cameras placed inside the forests of Ratanmahal in February this year.
"Since February, forest staff have been keeping a close watch on the tiger's movement. During the last nine months, this tiger was captured at regular intervals on our cameras placed inside the forest, which has established that the big cat has settled in the Ratanmahal forest," the minister said, adding that the tiger appears to be healthy.
The minister stated that they have relocated some herbivores in the forest to make sure that the tiger gets enough prey base for its survival.
The National Tiger Conservation Authority has been informed about the tiger's presence in Gujarat, and its guidance has been sought for further action.
The forest department records show that tigers went extinct in Gujarat in 1989.
In February 2019, the forest department confirmed the presence of a tiger in Lunawada tehsil of Mahisagar district. However, the hopes of revival died out when the big cat's carcass was found in the same forest area after two weeks.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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