Tiger rescued from Nilgiris may be shifted to Vandalur Zoo

UDHAGAMANDALAM: The rescued Mudumalai Division Tiger-23 (MDT-23), which is being treated for its wounds at the Mysore Zoo, would be either shifted to Vandalur Zoo in Chennai or retained at the zoo itself after the completion of treatment.
Forest minister K Ramachandran said higher forest officials would take a decision in this regard based on the consent from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) after the tiger recuperates from wounds completely.“The health condition of the tiger is improving day by day and it is eating well. The Mysore zoo has all the facilities of a well equipped rescue centre.”
The minister said the state would soon have a wild animal rescue centre. “We have sent a proposal to the government in this regard.”
Aged around 13 years, MDT-23 had killed three people and around 10 heads of cattle in the Gudalur division of forests in the Nilgiris in the past two months, before it was captured on October 15 after 21 days of operation.
The tiger was subsequently shifted to a cage as per the NTCA protocols and taken to the Mysore Zoo. The animal had several wound marks on its body.
Tigers housed in the Mysore Zoo are either captured or rescued ones from Karnataka forests. “In most of the cases, the tigers were either old or severely wounded when captured or rescued. Considering their old age and incapability to survive in the wild, they were retained in the zoo itself,” a source said.