Tigress rescued in Hediyala range, shifted to Bannerghatta after night operation

Hediyala: A 10- to 11-year-old female tiger was rescued near Adnoor village in Sargur taluk of Mysuru district, in the Hediyala range of Bandipur Tiger Reserve, on Friday night.

The tiger was first sighted by villagers on Friday morning, following which forest department officials launched a combing operation.

The animal was traced using a thermal drone and was darted by wildlife veterinarian Dr Ramesh at around 8 pm on Friday. Officials said the tigress had three worn-out canines.

As it was aged, it could not be released back into the wild. It was therefore shifted to the Bannerghatta rescue centre in the early hours of Saturday.

The operation was led by Conservator of Forests of Bandipur Tiger Reserve S Prabhakaran, ACF Paramesh, and RFOs Narayan, Krishna, and Anith Raj.

Elephants — Mahendra from Balle camp of Nagarahole Tiger Reserve, and Bhageeratha and Parthasarathi from BTR — were also part of the operation.