A three-year-old male tiger, which was tranquilised a day earlier in the forests of Jhabua in Haryana, was released into a one-hectare soft enclosure in Rajasthan’s Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve (RVTR) early Monday morning with a new name. The tiger renamed RVT- 4 will join a pair of tigers — male and female — and a couple of cubs at the RVTR in Bundi.
RVTR Divisional Forest Officer Sanjeev Sharma said the tiger was introduced into the enclosure around 5.30 am on Monday and is likely to be released into the forest two weeks later.
A radio collar was attached to the tiger for monitoring. RVT-4 had normal movement in the enclosure and later in the day, drank some water and had some rest, he added.
Activists hailed the big cat’s addition to the tiger reserve, saying it will promote wildlife tourism but said another female tiger should be added to avoid a conflict between RVT-1 and the new tiger.
RVT-3 is the only adult female tiger in the reserve. The two cubs, also female, are 20 months old.
RVT-4, the new tiger, is said to have an aggressive tiger. It was previously kept in Sariska Tiger Reserve but was in search of its territory, making it difficult for the forest department to monitor it.
Several attempts were made to tranquilise it and finally it was tranquilised around 6.30 pm on Sunday. It was moved to Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve after a female tiger, RVT-2, died last month.