A Royal Bengal Tiger that entered a farmer’s house in Jharkhand’s Ranchi district was released into an enclosure at Palamau Tiger Reserve (PTR) on Thursday morning, a forest official said.Initially believed to be from neighbouring West Bengal, the tiger was later identified as a resident of PTR."We sent the animal to a soft release centre for observation around 8am. It will be freed into the wild later," PTR Field Director S R Natesh told PTI.The male tiger, named ‘Quila’ by forest officials, was first spotted near Palamu Fort in October 2023."Since it was first sighted near Palamu Quila (fort), we named it Quila for identification," said PTR Deputy Director Prajesh Jena.The big cat triggered panic in Mardu village under Silli block, around 65 km from Ranchi, after it entered the home of one Purandar Mahto early Wednesday morning.The area falls under Muri police outpost and is close to the West Bengal border.A joint rescue team from PTR and the forest department captured the animal after a 13-hour operation."After a primary health check-up in Ranchi, the tiger was carefully transported to PTR, a nine-hour journey," Jena said.He added that the animal's health was examined again by a team of veterinarians on Thursday morning before its release."We matched its stripe patterns and other evidence with our recorded documents, including camera trap images, and confirmed it is the same tiger photographed in October 2023 near Palamu Fort," Jena said.Jena noted that the big cat is sharp, having travelled almost the entire internal tiger corridor in Jharkhand. Largest wild catThe Royal Bengal tiger is the biggest wild cat species found in India and can weigh over 200 kilograms.Born swimmersUnlike most cats, these tigers are excellent swimmers and often cool off in ponds and rivers.Unique stripesEvery Royal Bengal tiger has a unique pattern of stripes, just like human fingerprints.
