A tiger died after falling into a nullah following its tranquilization during a capture operation in the human-settlement area of Palasgaon forest range under the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, Chandrapur. The incident occurred between 3:30 pm and 4 pm on Tuesday while the Forest Department was capturing the animal. The exact cause of death will be known after the post-mortem report, officials said.
The tiger, identified as T-202F S-2, a sub-adult, had attacked and killed a local resident, Shidame, in the Chorgaon area on June 28. Tadoba-Andhari’s Rapid Response Team (RRT) successfully tranquilized and captured the tiger on July 4, after which it was released into the reserve’s core zone as per protocol. However, no evidence emerged of it hunting wild prey since, and it returned to the human-settlement area of Palasgaon range, raising fresh concerns over public safety.
Forest Department officials and staff had been closely monitoring the tiger’s movements for the past three days. After reviewing the situation, they decided to recapture it using bait. During the capture operation on Tuesday, the tiger was administered a tranquilizer injection between around 3:45 pm and 4 pm, after which it immediately went to a nearby nullah and died there, according to Tadoba Buffer Deputy Conservator Male.
The Forest Department said a detailed post-mortem report would be submitted to senior officials, following which the exact cause of death and further course of action would be determined. The incident has renewed concerns over human-wildlife conflict in the Tadoba region, with frequent tiger movement near settlements reviving debate over wildlife conservation measures.
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