Chandrapur: Six-month-old tiger cub reunited with mother after being rescued from well

A rapid response team from Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve along with senior forest and veterinary officials were sent to the spot. The team succeeded in pulling the tiger cub out of the well around 11.30 am, following which it was put inside a cage.

The cub was taken to Chandrapur’s Transit Treatment Centre for a check-up and found to be fit. Even as officials were making plans to reunite the cub with its mother, they got information about a tigress calling out near the spot where the cub was found.

The officials then rushed the cub to the spot. A team led by Divisional Forest Officer Sarika Jagtap, consisting of Range Forest Officer Vaibhav Rajurkar, forest guard Rakesh Gurnule, veterinary doctor Kundan Pochalwar and representative of NGO Wildlife Protection Society of India, Mukesh Bhandakkar, were at the spot around 8.30 pm.

“In about an hour’s time, the tigress came and started making frantic calls for the cub. The cub also started responding. When the tigress came within two feet of the cage, the door was lifted. The cub jumped out and the tigress, accompanied by another cub, walked away with the two,” Bhandakkar said.

Last year, a similar operation had failed. Officials did not lift the door of the cage as they were apprehensive that the mother was not close enough to the cage. The cub was subsequently moved to Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai.