After spending seven months in captivity, the majestic Royal Bengal tiger that walked into the Nandankanan Zoological Park would be released in the wild soon.
According to State Forest and Environment Secretary RK Sharma, the tiger would be released in the Similipal National Park. “The decision to release the tiger in the wild in Similipal was taken at a high level meeting attended by the forest officials and members of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). The tiger would be released under the supervision of the NTCA,” Sharma said.
The wild tiger first had walked into the zoo on April 30 last year and escaped after jumping off an 18 feet high wire fence a month later on May 31. But it again walked into the zoo on June 24. However, there was a controversy over the fate of the tiger, whether to keep it in the zoo or release it in a natural habitat.