The tiger cub that had been rescued by officials of the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary on Friday was released to the Kuppadi forest under the sanctuary in the early hours of Saturday.
The female cub, aged around six months, was captured by the rapid response team of the sanctuary from a pit on a coffee plantation near the sanctuary.
After the capture, the cub was shifted to the animal rescue centre of the sanctuary at Sultan Bathery.
Officials decided to release the animal back to the wild to join its mother after it was found that the cub was healthy.
Though the frontline Forest staff tried to spot the mother tiger on Friday, it was in vain. Though a camera trap was set near the pit, no image was captured.
However, the roar of the tiger was heard near the pit in the early hours of Saturday, and the cub, which was kept in a cage, responded to it. Later, the cub was released into the wild to join its mother.
The tiger and its cub are residents of the sanctuary, warden S. Narendra Babu told The Hindu. As many as eight camera traps have been set up inside the forest to monitor the movements of wild cats, he said.
