Six-month-old injured tiger cub recovering after being rescued - Watch

Chennai: The top officials of the Forest Department at the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR), Tamil Nadu, said an injured 6-month old male tiger cub has been rescued successfully and is recovering well at a treatment facility. Forest staff had spotted the lone cub wandering by the private tea estates in the Valparai area. It was a rare sight given how cubs are not spotted without their mother and siblings.

Since the time of its spotting two days ago, forest staff had been tracking the weak-appearing cub, until they lost track of it owing to heavy rains and poor visibility. Anticipating the need for capturing and treating the animal, the Forest department, under the guidance of Tamil Nadu Chief Wildlife Warden Dr. Shekhar Kumar Niraj readied a team of vets and equipment required for the operation.

Field Director and Conservator of Forest, ATR, Ramasubramaian told Zee Media that the cub was initially spotted about two days ago by forest staff on routine rounds, following which the animal was being tracked. However, heavy rains and poor visibility hampered their work.

“We had a team of vets from Tirunelveli, technical experts and the Panchayat head, in accordance with the National Tiger Conservation Authority Guidelines for capture. Cages and tranquilizer darts were also kept ready and we formed four teams and we spent hours combing the area where the tiger cub was spotted. Later, we understood from tea estate workers that the cub had entered and taken refuge in an abandoned building in their premises” Field Director and Conservator of Forest, Ramasubramaian told Zee Media.

After the mammoth effort of 150 personnel in clearing the bushes and conducting searches, amid the heavy rain, it was late on Tuesday night that the tiger cub was captured. Owing to its weak condition and the risks involved in tranquilizing, the forest department staff and experts caught the tiger cub in a net, covered its eyes and face(to prevent aggressive behavior or attacks) and move the caged cub to the treatment facility in Rottikadai, nearly 10kms from the spot of capture in Valparai.

Examination by vets revealed that the cub bore injuries caused by porcupine quills and the tiger’s fecal matter indicated that the cub had eaten a porcupine. Besides dressing the wounds, the vets treated the animal with antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medicines and fed the animal, which was suspected to be starving owing to its injuries. Responding to the treatment and care, the cub also consumed the meat and milk that was offered.

“The decision to release the cub or keep it under captivity is to be taken by the NTCA and the Chief Wildlife Warden of Tamil Nadu, after the cub completes close to a week under observation” Ramasubramanian added. Asked about the whereabouts of the cub’s mother and siblings, he replied that Forest staff are looking into whether the cub was abandoned or got lost from its family. The Anamalai tiger reserve in Tamil Nadu is home to about 25 tigers and the region where the cub was captured is home to anywhere between 7-10 tigers. The ATR spans across parts of Coimbatore, Tiruppur and Dindigul districts of Tamil Nadu.

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