Injured tiger released in Anaimalai Tiger Reserve after treatment

COIMBATORE: A tiger, that was trapped in a snare, was rescued, treated, and released into the wild by the forest department in Anaimalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) on Monday.

As the tiger was found with external injuries in a camera trap image, the forest department decided to capture the animal for treatment.

The male tiger, aged around nine years, was trapped in one of the three cages placed with a goat as its bait at the Amaravathi forest range in Tirupur division of ATR on Saturday.

It was then treated for injuries under sedation by a team of veterinarians led by S Sathasivam from Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR).

The animal managed to survive as the snare is suspected to be made of rope used to tie cattle, and not wires, which would have otherwise proven fatal. It got ensnared on the lower back of the animal resulting in injuries.

“The poachers could have kept the snare to trap a wild boar for its meat. However, the tiger was caught in it. An examination revealed the tiger to be perfectly alright and has suffered only minor external injuries. Samples have been collected for a further laboratory analysis,” police said.

After tracking the tiger for more than a week, the animal was finally captured and released back into the forest area after treatment.