Tigress T4 that was translocated to Panna from Kanha tiger reserve on Saturday, was released in the wilderness on Sunday morning. The Forest Department is claiming that this endeavor would be a milestone in helping the orphaned cubs leading a natural life in the wilderness.

“A six-year old tigress from Kanha Tiger Reserve was released in the wild of the park directly on Sunday morning,” Panna Tiger Reserve’s field director RS Murthy, said. “It is for the first time in the country that a tigress has been put in the wild directly,” he said, adding that normally animals are first kept in an enclosure before shifting them to the wilderness.

The park director informed that the striped feline had reached the park at around11.20 pm on Saturday and was released in the wild after medical examination at around 6.30 am on Sunday. He further revealed that the Madla area where the tigress has been released, has been banned for tourism activities for one week.

This tigress had been raised in an enclosure in Kanha, after her mother died shortly after delivery. The new entrant of Panna has been radio-collared for the purpose of monitoring at Kanha itself. The technical management of this innovative project would be entirely on the park management of Panna tiger reserve.

The entire translocation process was undertaken in the guidance of PCCF RK Dave and Chief Wildlife Warden HS Pabla.

With this recent relocation, the number of translocated tigresses to this reserve has increased to four. Last year, two tigresses and a tiger were shifted to Panna, which is spread over 543 sq km across Panna and Chhatarpur districts. A tigress from Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve was brought in March 2009 and another one was translocated from Kanha in the same month.

Thereafter, a tiger was brought from Pench Tiger Reserve. The two translocated tigresses gave birth to cubs last year, officials said, adding that five cubs had been spotted so far.

Panna Tiger Reserve, which once had more than 35 tigers, had become devoid of the big cat, allegedly due to poaching, by the start of 2009.