Nagpur, India- The recently captured tiger from the Khadsangi forest range in Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) is uncertain. The state-level committee in Maharashtra, making decisions to capture tigers, has not scheduled a review meeting to determine the tiger's future. According to Forest Department officials, the committee, led by the Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Protection), advises the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) on whether to release captured tigers back into the wild or keep them in captivity.

"Normally, the committee meets within 3-8 days of a tiger's capture, and if the tiger is fit, it should be released within 10 days," a senior Forest Department official told media under the condition of anonymity. "In the past, decisions were made quickly, but recently, the process has been slow."

The committee's last meeting occurred about six months ago, and no decisions have been made since then regarding the release of captured tigers. The Gorewada Rescue Centre in Nagpur, Maharashtra's only shelter for rescued wild animals, is now overburdened, housing 30 tigers and 29 leopards. Some of these tigers are injured or old and will remain in captivity, but many are fit for release. Due to the committee's inaction, the rescue centre is struggling with overcrowding.

"Gorewada has ten enclosures for tigers, but we are accommodating 30 tigers and 29 leopards in other herbivore enclosures," said a source. "The rescue centre has exceeded its capacity, and only one more tiger can be housed."