Tiger returns to Gujarat after decades, marks historic nine-month stay in Ratanmahal sanctuary

AHMEDABAD: A wild tiger has made a return to Gujarat after several decades, establishing a permanent presence in Dahods Ratanmahal Wildlife Sanctuary for nine consecutive months, the longest tiger stay recorded in the states modern history. The Forest Department has called the development a breakthrough for Gujarats ecosystem, while Environment Minister Arjun Modhwadia hailed it as a historic moment that places Gujarat among the rare Indian states hosting lions, leopards and tigers together. The four-year-old male tiger, first sighted in February 2025, has been captured repeatedly on camera traps, each instance confirming what was once unthinkable: the apex predator has claimed a home in Gujarats rugged border landscape. Ratanmahal, which straddles the GujaratMadhya Pradesh boundary with nearly 70% lying within Gujarat, has now become the centre of one of Indias most significant wildlife developments in recent years. Officials clarified that the tiger was not brought under any translocation programme; instead, it wandered naturally from Madhya Pradesh, driven by the expanding tiger population there and attracted by suitable habitat across the border. The landscape linkage proved vital. Unlike the tiger that reached Mahisagar district in 2019 only to die within 20 days due to inadequate prey availability, this big cat has found sufficient food, water and habitat conditions to survive, and settle. Forest officers say the tigers stability indicates a deeper ecological transformation. Ratanmahals prey base, water sources and vegetation have improved to the extent that a tiger, the ultimate indicator of a healthy forest, now considers it viable long-term territory. Continuous monitoring teams are tracking its movement, prey interactions and territorial behaviour using advanced surveillance tools. Environment and Forest Minister Arjun Modhwadia, celebrating the development as a landmark in Gujarats conservation journey, offered a detailed assessment. The tiger has now made Gujarat, the land of the Asiatic lion, its home, he said. For nine months it has lived in the Ratanmahal Sanctuary of Dahod, and this is a proud moment for the state. Gujarat has now become the only place in India where all three big cats, the Asiatic lion, the Indian leopard and now the tiger, live together in the same natural landscape, he added. Explaining the behaviour and ecology of the newcomer, Modhwadia said, A tiger usually travels alone, while the lion moves in families. Earlier, such tigers would come and go, but this one seems to have settled. We have made arrangements for food and water. It is under continuous surveillance, and we are working on the technical aspects required for its long-term conservation. His comments reflected both triumph and caution, triumph because Gujarat has regained a species once thought lost, and caution because managing lions, leopards and tigers within overlapping corridors poses unprecedented challenges. With a recent video of the tiger going viral on social media, the Forest Department now faces the delicate task of protecting an apex predator while ensuring safety and balance around human settlements near the sanctuary. But one message is unmistakable: the tiger has returned to Gujarat, and this time, it seems determined to stay.