Jaipur: Apart from their operational duties, Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters have rescued stranded civilians during disasters.
However, this was for the first time that an IAF helicopter was assigned to transport a valued four-legged passenger with stripes.
In a first for the country, Rajasthan airlifted a tigress from Madhya Pradesh’s Pench Tiger Reserve to Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve in the Bundi district, to improve the genetic diversity of its tiger population.
Wildlife experts confirmed that this was the first instance in the country of an interstate transfer of a tigress by air. The operation was conducted under strict scientific protocols, tight security, and multi-level coordination between agencies, as reported by The New Indian Express.
The three-year-old tigress, identified as PN-224, arrived at Jaipur Airport on Sunday night around 10.30 pm aboard an IAF MI-17 helicopter. She was subsequently transported by road to Bundi and released into a special enclosure at around 6.30 am on Monday.
The operation was not without drama. It began on Sunday morning in the Pench Tiger Reserve, where the tigress was located hiding under trees in a dense forest. A team of veterinary doctors successfully tranquilised her, following which a detailed medical examination was conducted. Officials said her body temperature, heartbeat and respiration rate were found to be completely normal.
After about an hour of medical and technical procedures, the tigress was airlifted at 4.55 pm. Owing to security considerations, she was flown to Jaipur instead of Bundi. Following a two-and-a-half-hour flight, she reached Jaipur and was moved in a specially designed cage vehicle to Ramgarh Vishdhari.
The tigress has been placed in the Bajaliya enclosure of the reserve, where she will remain under constant observation.
Preparations for the translocation had been underway for several weeks. Chief conservator of forests Suganaram Jat and senior veterinary expert Dr Tejendra Riyad from Kota reached Pench on November 25. On December 5, the tigress was tranquilised and fitted with a radio collar.
Wildlife experts said the translocation is crucial to prevent inbreeding, which often occurs when tiger populations remain confined to a limited area for long periods. Inbreeding can lead to congenital diseases, reduced immunity, lower fertility, and physical deformities in future generations.
She was initially scheduled to be brought to Ramgarh Vishdhari on December 10. However, the radio collar broke on December 6, creating difficulties in tracking her and stalling the operation.
Eventually, with the help of trained elephants, officials managed to tranquilise her again. Despite posing significant challenges to forest teams from both states, the operation concluded successfully, marking a major milestone in Rajasthan’s tiger conservation efforts.
The original plan was to fly the tigress directly from Pench to Ramgarh Vishdhari. A helipad was constructed at Ramgarh, and helicopter trial runs were conducted over two days. However, permission from the Air Force was denied on security grounds.
“The introduction of a new tigress will strengthen the gene pool and help ensure a healthier and more resilient tiger population in Ramgarh Vishdhari in the long term,” an expert has been quoted by the newspaper as saying.
The tigress has been released into a specially developed one-hectare enclosure in the Bajaliya area of the reserve. She has been fitted with a radio collar, and her movements will be continuously monitored using AI-based camera traps and sensor systems.
