Manas National Park (Assam): An adult male tiger, captured following conflicts with people in Sibsagar district in northern Assam and released in Manas National Park more than eight months ago, was photographed in the wild last month.The tiger was tranquilised and captured from a human settlement by the Assam Forest Department assisted by IFAW-WTI (International Fund for Animal Welfare – Wildlife Trust of India) to mitigate conflict that resulted in the death of two persons in March. After short-listing three potential areas, Manas NP was decided as the most suited for the tiger’s release. Accordingly, it was radio-collared for post-release monitoring and released in Manas.

With no attacks on humans reported since then, this incident promises to strengthen the case for rehabilitation of tigers that accidentally come into conflict with people.

“The photographs acquired through camera-traps indicate its survival in the wild. And, there has been no report of attacks on people by this tiger since its release, presenting a hope that rehabilitation can be a viable option for tigers involved in conflicts,” said Dr NVK Ashraf, Chief Operating Officer, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI).

Generally, cases of human-carnivore conflicts, especially those resulting in human deaths, end up with the animal being killed or resigned to a life in captivity.

“In most cases when tigers involved in conflicts are captured, a nagging fear of further conflicts sways the decision against the animals’ favour; they are put away “safely” in zoos. Additionally, adult males have a ‘homing’ tendency raising doubts on success in such translocation. However, in this case, the authorities took a call in favour of giving another chance to the animal and it has paid off,” Dr Ashraf said, adding that the tiger needs to be continuously monitored.

Although the post-release monitoring continued, no signals were received from the tiger’s collar after a month from its release. “We began receiving the signal since mid-November again, after a long gap. In mid-December, it was photo-captured in camera traps placed by Aaranyak, ATREE and WWF-India. We are continuing to track it, though the signals received are inconsistent as the battery on the radio collar is dying. The radio collar is expected to drop off anytime now. There has been no direct conflict with people but we are trying to find out if it is involved in cattle-lifting,” said Dr Bhaskar Choudhury, Manager, WTI, who is overseeing the monitoring.