Rajasthan forest department captures tiger after it strays into fields in Ranthambore

A four-year-old male tiger was tranquilised and captured by forest department teams on Monday evening after it strayed into agricultural fields near the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan’s Sawai Madhopur district, officials said.

Deputy Conservator of Forests (Ranthambore First Circle) Manas Singh said the radio-collared tiger had earlier been spotted near a hotel on the outskirts of Sawai Madhopur late on Sunday. The animal later returned to the forest area but ventured out again on Monday, triggering concern among local residents.

Forest officials had formed a monitoring team to track the tiger’s movement. Later in the day, the big cat was spotted in agricultural fields at Ramsinghpura village . After villagers alerted authorities, a forest department team rushed to the spot and tranquilised the animal to ensure public safety . Veterinary teams examined the tiger after the operation and found it healthy. No injuries to villagers or forest staff were reported.

The incident has once again highlighted concerns over space and territorial pressure within the reserve due to the increasing tiger population.

Located in Sawai Madhopur district, Ranthambore Tiger Reserve is one of India’s most prominent tiger habitats and a major success story of conservation efforts under the Project Tiger. However, the rising number of tigers in the reserve is now posing fresh management challenges.

Officials said the reserve, spread across nearly 1,800 square kilometres including buffer areas in Sawai Madhopur, Dholpur and Karauli districts, currently supports around 70 tigers. Experts estimate that the habitat can ideally sustain about 40 to 50 tigers.

With limited space, young tigers searching for new territory often move through wildlife corridors towards nearby reserves such as the Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve and the Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve, and occasionally towards forest areas in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh.