Around eight months after a tiger being rehabilitated in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) underwent a surgery for one of its lost canines, the Forest Department has tasked a three-member veterinary team to assess its health and recovery.
The team comprising K. Sridhar, Veterinary Assistant Surgeon of Arignar Anna Zoological Park, Vandalur; A. Sukumar, Forest Veterinary Officer of Coimbatore Forest Division; and N.S. Manoharan, Additional Director of Veterinary Services (retired), will examine the tiger – the first big cat being rewilded in Tamil Nadu.
The Chief Wildlife Warden has given appropriate instructions for the examination for which guidelines of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) will be followed, said ATR Field Director S. Ramasubramanian.
The tiger is sheltered in an open enclosure of 10,000 square feet in the core area of the ATR at Manthirimattam in the Manambolly forest range. According to the Forest Department, the tiger’s right upper canine had a crack when it was rescued as an orphaned cub from a tea estate near Valparai in September 2021. A team of veterinarians led by Dr. Sridhar performed the dental surgery and removed residue tooth pieces of the lost right upper canine in September 2022. The cavity was filled with biodentine.
“The veterinarians will check the tiger’s recovery from the surgery. The animal is very healthy and active,” said Mr. Ramasubramanian.
The tiger, weighing nearly 140 kg, is being fed meat and live animals like rabbit and wild boar. The tiger has successfully hunted wild boar in the enclosure.
The official said that a proposal to construct a herbivore enclosure of four hectares adjacent to the open enclosure was already sent and the Department was waiting for its approval.
The herbivore enclosure will help the tiger learn to hunt prey in a natural environment before it is ready to be released into the wild. During this final stage of the ‘soft release’, preferred prey including sambar, spotted deer and wild boar will be lured into the herbivore enclosure for the tiger to learn hunting.
To avoid the big cat getting accustomed to humans, only two staff are taking care of the carnivore, with very minimal contact. Surveillance cameras are used to monitor it in the enclosure.
Mr. Ramasubramanian added that Inspector General of Forests N.S. Murali from the NTCA assessed the rewilding programme during his visit to Coimbatore last week.
