A royal Bengal tiger that swam 120 km across the river Brahmaputra to a tiny island, has been released into the wild after a thorough health check-up. Indian Forest Service officer Susanta Nanda uploaded a video of the big cat being released into the wild on Sunday.
In a tweet, Mr Nanda wrote, "This tiger swam more than 50km downstream in Brahmaputra river to reach Umananda Island in Assam. Was captured & after a through health check up was released back into the wild at Nameri Tiger Reserve today. Well done team Assam. Source: FD." In the video, the wild tiger is seen jumping out of a cage at the back of a car that has been left open and slowly disappears into the bushes.
Watch the video here:
The tiger swam a distance of 120 km across the river Brahmaputra and ended up on a tiny island before it was spotted. It was tranquilised soon after and moved to the state zoo. In a video that went viral, the tiger was seen speed-swimming in the Brahmaputra and then hiding in a narrow cave on the Peacock Island near Guwajati that is famous for the ancient Umananda temple.
Forest officials suspect the tiger strayed from the Oranga National Park located about 120 km from the island, which is a 10-minute boat ride across the Brahmaputra from Guwahati city. The animal was possibly swept away by the strong currents of the Brahmaputra while drinking water.
Amid panic among people on the island, a unit of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), which has a base nearby, was alerted, along with the local police. Forest department officials and a rescue team, including veterinarians, rushed to the spot in boats. No one was harmed as the tiger was tranquillized and securely removed from the island's rocks. After a health check, the tiger was released into the wild.
