Mowgli’s Jungle” Drama: Tigress Continues to Outsmart Officials, Wildlife Teams Strive to Shift Her to Rajasthan

Bundi/Pench: A challenging operation is underway to relocate a tigress from Pench Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh to Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan. The tigress, identified as PN-224, daughter of PN-36, has been under close surveillance for the past four days, with the fifth day of operations in progress. Despite repeated sightings, the tigress has been skillfully evading capture in the dense forests of Pench, disappearing into thick foliage each time.

Operation Details: Airlifting to Ramgarh

Forest officials from both Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, supported by eight elephants, camera traps, on-foot tracking, and AI technology, have been attempting to tranquilize the tigress. Once successfully sedated, PN-224 will be airlifted via helicopter to Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve, a journey expected to take around seven hours. The tigress was first spotted in Ramgarh on Saturday within a dense thicket, and her movements continue to be monitored via AI-enabled trap cameras in real time.

Advanced AI Cameras in Action

To aid the search, the Pench Tiger Reserve has deployed a dozen AI-powered camera traps. These devices, initially installed to monitor illegal intrusions, capture photos of any wildlife or humans entering the reserve and instantly transmit the images to the control room via mobile network. The tigress’s current location is being tracked through this network of cameras.

Recent Sighting and Evasion

Field Director Suganaram Jat of Ramgarh and Dr. Tejendra Singh Riyad, veterinary expert from Mukundra Tiger Reserve, have been closely monitoring the tigress. On Sunday morning, the tigress was spotted resting under lantana shrubs, approximately 50 meters from the team, but cleverly eluded capture. The tranquilization team, mounted on elephants, refrained from darting immediately due to safety concerns, waiting for her to move to a safer location. However, PN-224 anticipated the plan and vanished into the dense forest, evading officials once again.

Continued Efforts

Operations resumed throughout Sunday afternoon and evening using updates from the AI camera network. On Monday, forest teams continue their efforts to locate and safely tranquilize the tigress. Officials remain committed to the challenging task, ensuring the tigress is safely relocated while minimizing risk to both her and the team.