Kota (Raj), Jun 24 (PTI) Rescued as a two-month-old orphan, tiger RVT-07’s tentative steps from his enclosure as he was released after nearly two years into a natural habitat at the Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve (RVTR) in Bundi marked a landmark wildlife conservation initiative.
The tiger, which has been fitted with a radio collar, was released Tuesday night by Rajasthan forest department personnel and a dedicated monitoring team and rapid response units have been deployed to ensure its safety and track its adaptation to the wild, officials said, describing it as Rajasthan’s first such scientific rewilding of orphan cubs.
After briefly stepping outside twice and voluntarily returning to the enclosure, the tiger eventually left on Wednesday noon, they said.
Experts said that the successful rehabilitation and release of RVT-07 could serve as a model for the conservation and rewilding of orphaned tiger cubs across India in the future.
The male cub of tigress T-114 in Ranthambore Tiger Reserve was rescued when it was nearly two to three months old and was shifted to Abheda Biological Park in Kota, where it was raised and trained for nearly 22 months.
During this period, wildlife experts focused on developing its natural hunting instincts and survival skills.
As part of the rewilding programme, the tiger was transferred on December 5, 2024, to a specially developed five-hectare rewilding enclosure at Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve.
Over the following one-and-a-half years, forest officials and wildlife specialists continuously assessed its health, behaviour and hunting capabilities.
Following the recommendations of an expert committee and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), and after receiving approval from the Rajasthan Chief Wildlife Warden, RVT-07 was fitted with a radio collar on June 7, 2026, to facilitate post-release monitoring.
The gates of the rewilding enclosure in RVTR were opened at 6:15 pm on Tuesday, allowing the tiger unrestricted access to the reserve’s natural habitat.
Around 10 pm, RVT-07 made two attempts to move out of the enclosure and briefly stepped outside before voluntarily returning to the enclosure, Chief Conservator of Forest (CCF) Wildlife and Director of the Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve(MHTR), Kota, and Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve (RVTR), Bundi, Sugna Ram Jat said on Wednesday.
“The enclosure’s gates remained fully open for the tiger to leave at any time and it eventually left the enclosure on Wednesday noon. However, it was likely to return anytime according to its natural instincts as the animal is accustomed to the place,” he added.
The tiger’s movements and behaviour will be monitored round-the-clock through GPS-VHF radio collar technology, radio telemetry, camera traps and field surveillance, officials said.
Forest officials described the programme as a major milestone in wildlife conservation in Rajasthan.
Tigers in India are assigned a unique identification codes where letters corresponds to the reserve where the tiger is located, followed by a number. PTI CORR RT
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