Rewilded sub-adult male tiger found dead in MP's Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary

BHOPAL: A rewilded sub-adult male tiger, recently translocated as part of Madhya Pradesh’s tiger expansion programme, was found dead inside the core area of Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary in Sagar district, forest officials said on Monday.

The tiger, estimated to be around 33–35 months old, had been relocated from Kanha Tiger Reserve to Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve to strengthen tiger presence in low-density forest landscapes with an adequate prey base. Nauradehi forms a key component of this larger conservation landscape.


Senior wildlife officials confirmed the tiger’s death and said the exact cause would be determined after a post-mortem. Wildlife activist Ajay Dubey has demanded an inquiry into the incident.

According to forest department sources, the tiger was rescued nearly three years ago as a 4–5-month-old cub from the Rukhad range of Pench Tiger Reserve. The orphaned cub was later shifted to Kanha, where it was reared in the Ghorela rewilding enclosure near Mukki.

Over the next two years, wildlife experts trained the cub in natural hunting skills and independent movement under semi-wild conditions — a structured process to prepare rescued animals for eventual release into the wild.

After being assessed as healthy and capable of surviving independently, wildlife managers decided to release the tiger into the Nauradehi landscape, identified for long-term tiger revival due to its vast forest tracts and relatively low tiger density.

Before translocation, the tiger was tranquilised by a team of veterinarians and scientists, and its biological parameters were recorded. Following statutory clearances, it was fitted with a satellite radio collar to enable continuous post-release monitoring.

The relocation was conducted under standard operating procedures and expert supervision, with senior forest officials and wildlife specialists present, including the field director of Kanha Tiger Reserve.

Officials believed Nauradehi’s contiguous forest habitat would allow the tiger to establish a territory and contribute to expanding tiger populations beyond traditional strongholds like Kanha and Pench.

The carcass was discovered inside the core area during routine monitoring. A team of veterinarians and senior officers secured the body, which will undergo a post-mortem as per National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) protocols to determine the exact cause of death.

Radio collar data will also be analysed to examine the tiger’s movement pattern in the days preceding its death. At present, no foul play has been confirmed.

Officials said the death is a setback to ongoing efforts to re-establish a stable tiger population in the Nauradehi landscape, which has been identified as a potential expansion zone under Madhya Pradesh’s long-term tiger conservation strategy.