Tigress Released Into Chandoli National Park After Scientific Acclimatisation

In a major step towards strengthening the tiger population in the Sahyadri landscape, a female tiger (T-20-S-2), earlier soft-released inside a controlled enclosure, was successfully released today into the open forests of Chandoli National Park under the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve situated 220 km away from Pune city.

After arrival, the tigress underwent a carefully planned habituation, observation and acclimatisation phase in the pre-release enclosure, where her movement, behaviour, feeding pattern, response to natural elements, territorial marking, activity rhythm, prey interest and avoidance instincts were scientifically monitored.

Expert veterinarians and wildlife biologists from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) conducted daily behavioural assessments and declared her fit for full wild release. Enclosure has opened at 4.30 pm on Nov 18th but she took her own time to come out, and finally, on Nov 20th, around 8.15 am she came out most elegantly. She has started marking her territory from the enclosure itself proving herself as the Queen of Sahyadri.

The tigress has been equipped with a radio collar and will be monitored round-the-clock using satellite-based telemetry and VHF antenna tracking units to ensure her safety and smooth integration into the wild ecosystem. Monitoring teams from Sahyadri Tiger Reserve, Chandoli National Park and WII are already deployed across strategic beats, vantage points, patrolling routes and water bodies.

Key monitoring components include:

• Satellite & VHF-based real-time location tracking

• Field patrol-based triangulation and direct sign verification

• Behavioural documentation (movement, resting sites, kill pattern, territory exploration)

• Conflict-avoidance protocols with local communities

• Veterinary response readiness

Field Director, Sahyadri Tiger Reserve, Tushar Chavan IFS said, “The tigress has shown excellent adaptive behaviour, natural activity patterns and ecological responses inside the pre-release enclosure. She is perfectly fit, healthy and ready to thrive in the wilderness of Chandoli National Park. Our teams, supported by WII scientists, are fully prepared for responsible and scientific post-release monitoring. This marks an important milestone in the Sahyadri tiger recovery programme, which is being executed with the highest conservation ethics and scientific precision.”

Chief Wildlife Warden, Maharashtra M S Reddy IFS said, “This initiative reflects Maharashtra’s scientific, systematic and long-term approach to wildlife conservation. The tigress has acclimatised well to the habitat conditions and demonstrated satisfactory wild behavioural traits. With expert teams from STR and WII in place for continuous monitoring, this release strengthens our efforts to re-establish a healthy and viable tiger population in the Sahyadri landscape.”

The Government of Maharashtra, Sahyadri Tiger Reserve, Chandoli National Park and Wildlife Institute of India remain committed to ensuring safe, ethical and scientifically guided tiger conservation programmes that restore natural ecosystems and strengthen biodiversity security for future generations.