Guwahati: A tiger, which was captured after it had killed two persons in Assam`s Sibsagar district and later released in Manas National Park, has been sighted recently.
The sighting confirms the survival of the tiger over 1000 days since its release here by the Forest Department and assisted by International Fund for Animal Welfare Wildlife Trust of India (IFAW-WTI).
The tiger was caught from Geleki in March 2010 following encounter with people that led to the death of two.
In this particular case, the authorities found the attacks on people were purely accidental, and decided to release it and the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) authorities granted permission for its release in Greater Manas region.
The tiger was radio-collared and released in Manas in April, 2010 and it was recently photographed in the camera traps set for tiger monitoring in Manas, 1095 days since it was released, WTI`s North East Regional Head Dr Bhaskar Choudhury said today.
"The new photograph show that the tiger`s collar has dropped off but the time it has spent without reports of conflict involving it, we can now be satisfied that this tiger has established itself here", he said.
This success has shown that conflict animals can be rehabilitated successfully with meticulous planning and scientific monitoring, he added.
Since its release, this is the second sighting of the tiger and it was first photographed in February 2011.
"With tiger population estimated to be less than 2000 in the country, we cannot afford to lose individuals to captivity unnecessarily but at the same time we cannot afford to risk human lives by hastily releasing a `potential-trouble` making animal", WTI Executive Director and IFAW`s South Asia Regional Director Vivek Menon said.
PTI
