Dramatic physical rescue of full grown tiger at Butibori forest range

Nagpur: With scenes more exciting than a thriller movie, a village near Butibori on Monday witnessed an hour-long dramatic chase and physical rescue of a full-grown tiger by officials. Villagers in Shindivihir, under Butibori Forest Range, spotted a tiger sitting the in a shallow nullah for a long time.Forest officials along with a rescue team from Transit Treatment Centre (TTC) reached the spot around noon, and a crucial decision had to be taken.Kundan Hate, ex-wildlife warden and well-known animal conservationist, said, "The big question was do we take the easy way out and tranquilize this seven or eight years-old tiger, or rescue it the hard way with catch poles."A catch pole is a long pole with a loop or noose at the end used to capture animals safely. The loop, typically made of rope or cable, is placed around the animal's neck or body and tightened to restrain it without causing harm. The pole allows control from a distance, reducing the risk of bites or scratches.As the tiger sat near the natural water hole, officials convened their impromptu meet under a tree which was just 50 feet away. Hate said, "The Sun was blazing and one of the tiger's paw was swollen. In such conditions if we tranquilized him, there was a chance that the tiger would die. Also, guidelines do not allow tranquilization if tiger is near a water body."With three catch poles in hand, TTC staffers along with Hate proceeded towards the tiger. The game of distracting the cat from the front, while a staffer sneaked from behind to catch the tiger with the pole, had started.The tiger, despite a swollen paw, scampered to another corner of the nullah after sensing what was up. The Sun bore down heavily on both the rescue team and the tiger, but the cat-and-mouse game continued. "Sometime the tiger would rush up from the nullah to its bank which was around 12 feet high. And then run back down to the nullah. Within a radius of 500 metres, this continued for almost an hour," said Hate, whose priority was to avoid threat to tiger's life which a tranquilizer may have posed. After dramatic chase, albeit in circles around the nullah, the tiger was safely caught by TTC staffers. Hate said "We had to then carry the tiger almost 100 metres towards the spot which could be accessed by our vehicle."The tiger is currently undergoing treatment on its leg, which has a minor injury.Under the guidance of Bharat Singh Hada, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Nagpur, Manoj Dhanvijay, Assistant Conservator of Forests, and Pramod Wade, Range Forest Officer, the entire rescue operation was successfully completed. The physical rescue was carried out by TTC team, including Dr Rajesh Phulsunge, Dr. Priyal Chouragade, Siddhant More, Bandu Mangar, Chetan Barskar, Ashish Mahalle, Swapnil Bhure, and forest guards Harish Kinkar and Pratik Ghate, who played a crucial role. Additionally, the Butibori Forest Range's Assistant Range Officers along with their staff, were present to assist.Nagpur: With scenes more exciting than a thriller movie, a village near Butibori on Monday witnessed an hour-long dramatic chase and physical rescue of a full-grown tiger by officials. Villagers in Shindivihir, under Butibori Forest Range, spotted a tiger sitting the in a shallow nullah for a long time.Forest officials along with a rescue team from Transit Treatment Centre (TTC) reached the spot around noon, and a crucial decision had to be taken.Kundan Hate, ex-wildlife warden and well-known animal conservationist, said, "The big question was do we take the easy way out and tranquilize this seven or eight years-old tiger, or rescue it the hard way with catch poles."A catch pole is a long pole with a loop or noose at the end used to capture animals safely. The loop, typically made of rope or cable, is placed around the animal's neck or body and tightened to restrain it without causing harm. The pole allows control from a distance, reducing the risk of bites or scratches.As the tiger sat near the natural water hole, officials convened their impromptu meet under a tree which was just 50 feet away. Hate said, "The Sun was blazing and one of the tiger's paw was swollen. In such conditions if we tranquilized him, there was a chance that the tiger would die. Also, guidelines do not allow tranquilization if tiger is near a water body."With three catch poles in hand, TTC staffers along with Hate proceeded towards the tiger. The game of distracting the cat from the front, while a staffer sneaked from behind to catch the tiger with the pole, had started.The tiger, despite a swollen paw, scampered to another corner of the nullah after sensing what was up. The Sun bore down heavily on both the rescue team and the tiger, but the cat-and-mouse game continued. "Sometime the tiger would rush up from the nullah to its bank which was around 12 feet high. And then run back down to the nullah. Within a radius of 500 metres, this continued for almost an hour," said Hate, whose priority was to avoid threat to tiger's life which a tranquilizer may have posed. After dramatic chase, albeit in circles around the nullah, the tiger was safely caught by TTC staffers. Hate said "We had to then carry the tiger almost 100 metres towards the spot which could be accessed by our vehicle."The tiger is currently undergoing treatment on its leg, which has a minor injury.Under the guidance of Bharat Singh Hada, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Nagpur, Manoj Dhanvijay, Assistant Conservator of Forests, and Pramod Wade, Range Forest Officer, the entire rescue operation was successfully completed. The physical rescue was carried out by TTC team, including Dr Rajesh Phulsunge, Dr. Priyal Chouragade, Siddhant More, Bandu Mangar, Chetan Barskar, Ashish Mahalle, Swapnil Bhure, and forest guards Harish Kinkar and Pratik Ghate, who played a crucial role. Additionally, the Butibori Forest Range's Assistant Range Officers along with their staff, were present to assist.