https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

When A Caged Tigress Said Hello to The Wild Tiger…

Cubs grown in cages and enclosures can’t survive in the wild because they don’t know how to hunt in the wild. This is a trait taught to them by their mother. But, world’s first successful expedition of hand-reared tigers being released in the wild, was carried out in India – in Panna Tiger Reserve, to be precise – in 2010. Legendary Forest officer, Mr Rangaiah Sreenivasa Murthy, then Field Director of Panna Tiger Reserve narrates the thrilling story for the first time in such great details…
Indian Masterminds Stories

The two tiger cubs were on the verge of death after their mother had fallen prey to a territorial fight with another tiger in Kanha National Park, sometime in 2005–06. But, they were lucky enough not to become feed of another carnivore and to be rescued by some vigilant forest guards. Nobody knew then that the two female cubs were destined to make history.

Please click here to hear their full story…

They were hand-reared in a cage, initially fed milk, then given soft meat and as they grew up, they were also allowed to kill a gazelle or calf released in their enclosure to satiate their hunger. But they were as domesticated as a tiger in the zoo, being fed by humans and unaware of survival skills in the forest.

Thumb rule of the forest is survival of the fittest. The caged tigers can’t survive in the wild because they can’t hunt and can’t fight with other tigers. Till 2010, there was no history of a caged tiger ever surviving in the wild. But, these two cubs, did something remarkable so that their name will always remain etched in the history of tigers’ survival and development. 

By 2010, they were almost five years old. Since Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR) had become bereft of all tigers by 2009, these two tigresses were chosen to be released in the wild there. They were brought in from Kanha and released in the PTR after due diligence and medical tests.

The then Field Director of Panna Tiger Reserve Mr Rangaiah Sreenivasa Murthy, in the second episode of a candid conversation with Indian Masterminds, had spelled out minutest details of this pathbreaking experiment. The first part of this all encompassing interview was published in these columns only, on August 17, 2024.

It is still viewed on YouTube at..

How Tigers Vanished From Panna Forest in MP & How They Returned | Tiger Reserve | Indian Masterminds – YouTube


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
Image Yoga Day NBCC
Yoga Mahakumbh & Meditation Workshop: NBCC Commemorates 11th International Day of Yoga with Holistic Wellness Initiatives
IAS Prasanth N
Controversy Deepens Over IAS Officer Prasanth’s Suspension Extension Despite Panel Clearance
Indian Bureaucracy News Latest
ACC Extends Central Deputation Tenures of Ajai Kumar Verma and Kushagra Mittal
Screenshot 2025-06-21 202516
CM Yogi Leads International Yoga Day Celebrations in Gorakhpur
Indian PSUs Yoga Day 2025
Indian PSUs Lead the Way: Massive Participation Marks 11th International Yoga Day Across Public Sector
Jammu&Kashmir
Jammu & Kashmir: 27 Officers Promoted to Time Scale of JKAS; Safiya Abdullah Among Them - Check Order Here
Uttar Pradesh UP Government
Uttar Pradesh Launches ‘Urban Green Policy’ to Combat Climate Change and Promote Sustainable Development
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-21 at 8.03
Yoga for One Earth, One Health: NLC India Celebrates 11th International Yoga Day with 10,000 Participants in Neyveli
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Inderjit Singh Interview Plane Crash
What ill-fated pilots of AI171 may have gone through in those 40 seconds before the crash? Intro:
IRAS Ananth Rupanagudi
IRAS Ananth Rupanagudi’s 27-Year Odyssey with Indian Railways | Exclusive Interview
Monika Singh
The Civil Servant Who Finds Peace in Poetry
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-18 at 10.31
"I Just Wanted to Breathe Again": The Man Who Fought Death and Made It to UPSC
Struck by COVID at the peak of his UPSC prep, Devanand Telgote spent months on ECMO, unsure he'd live,...
Ravinder Nandal IDES
IDES Ravinder Nandal's Story of Self-Made Success
Balancing fatherhood, full-time jobs, and six UPSC attempts, Ravinder Nandal’s story is one of perseverance,...
Shailendra Choudhary UPSC
Daily Routine, Optional, Essays & More | Shailendra Choudhary Breaks It Down
Shailendra Choudhary, AIR 362 in UPSC 2024, shares how focused preparation, self-made strategies, and...
Social Media
Tigress Arrowhead
The End of an Era: A Queen Falls - Ranthambore’s Iconic Tigress Arrowhead (T-84) Passes Away at 14, Hours After Daughter’s Relocation
Ranthambore mourns the loss of one of its fiercest and most beloved tigers, Arrowhead, the granddaughter...
Screenshot 2025-06-13 194001
Wild Elephant Disrupts Riverside Picnic, Sparks Debate on Human Encroachment; IFS Parveen Kumar Shares the Video - Watch Here!
Mr. Kaswan used the viral video, which has garnered over 1.5 lakh views, to highlight the risks of human...
Tiger jump Sundarban
Stunning Viral Video Shows Royal Bengal Tiger Making Spectacular 30-Foot Leap Across River in Sunderbans - See It Here
Retired Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Susanta Nanda shared the clip online, which quickly went...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
Image Yoga Day NBCC
Yoga Mahakumbh & Meditation Workshop: NBCC Commemorates 11th International Day of Yoga with Holistic Wellness Initiatives
IAS Prasanth N
Controversy Deepens Over IAS Officer Prasanth’s Suspension Extension Despite Panel Clearance
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Inderjit Singh Interview Plane Crash
IRAS Ananth Rupanagudi
Monika Singh
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT