A rescued tiger cub caught in a kitchen garden net has returned to the wild in Assam

Wildlife veterinarians treated a male wild elephant with a spear wound to the left front leg and a corneal clouding of the left eye. | Photo credit: Special arrangement

A tiger cub, rescued from a house in Assam’s Biswanath district on September 17, was released in the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve.

The forelimbs of the cub, estimated to be three months old, were found entangled in the netting of a kitchen garden behind a house in Natungaon village. Officials said the cub may have wandered into the village after being separated from its mother due to strong river currents.

Installed camera trap

The rescue team explored neighboring river islands to find the mother. She subsequently shifted the cub to Kaziranga’s Biswanath Division Central Shooting Office for veterinary observation. C. Ramesh, Kaziranga field director, said the team took the cub to an island upstream based on information and evidence that suggested a mother with cubs had recently been present in the area.

Before returning, the team installed a camera trap at the release site to collect evidence of the presence of an adult tigress in the area. They moved the cub to a safer location after a drone survey showed rising water levels posed a risk to the carnivores.

“On September 23, we found evidence of pugs about 200 meters from where the cub was released. Camera trap monitoring will continue over the next few weeks,” said Panjit Basumatary of the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI).

Earlier, a team comprising WTI and Assam Forest Department specialists treated an injured male wild elephant spotted at Kacharigaon Tea Estate in Sonitpur district. The elephant was found to have a spear injury to its left front leg, resulting in severe swelling. The animal also had corneal opacity in the left eye with suspected partial vision loss.

The elephant was chemically immobilized and the pus-filled wounds on its injured left front leg were cleaned and dressed. The affected left eye was also cleaned and dressed, followed by a subconjunctival injection.

Published – 24 Sep 2026 22:53 IST