On Sunday, the people of Nagla Samal village located in Uttar Pradesh’s Etah district were in for a surprise as they spotted an adult female Bengal tiger in the residential area. Following this an 8-hour long rescue operation was mounted by the UP Forest Department and Wildlife SOS.

The feline was found sitting on top of a cattle shed and the worried villagers immediately got in touch with the Forest Department who roped in Wildlife SOS and Etawah Safari officers. Wildlife SOS Rapid Response Unit led by the Deputy Director, Veterinary Services, Dr. Ilayaraja Selvaraj was sent from Agra. The team found that the animal had already made its way inside the cattle shed through a gap in the tin roof.

Every corner of the shed was secured and a safety net set up at the main exit point by the rescue team. The creature was tranquilised using a sedative injection. After shifting the tiger to a transportation cage, a medical examination was conducted and minor injury was found on her tail which was treated. The tigress was then moved to Etawah Safari for further treatment.

Selvaraj talking about the rescue operation said: “This was quite a challenging operation as the tigress was stuck inside a shed and we could not get a clear view of her. It took us several attempts before the tigress was safely immobilized. I am thankful to the UP Forest Department, Etawah Safari team and the local Police for their support without which rescuing this distressed animal would be impossible.”

Aligarh Circle’s Conservator of Forest, Aditi Sharma remarked: “Spotting a tiger in this area is very unusual. To ensure we could safely rescue the animal we called in Wildlife SOS, Etawah Lion Safari personnel, senior veterinary officer, Dr. R.K Singh and the police. We spent 6-7 hours initiating crowd control measures and strategizing before we tranquilized the tiger.”

Also read: Madhya Pradesh farmers help reunite stranded bear cub with mother and forest