Tiger spotted in Gujarat after 32 years, confirms forest officer

A tiger has been sighted in Dahod district of Gujarat, after a gap of over three decades. The confirmation came from Forest Officer Susanta Nanda, who took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to share the news.

“After 32 years, a tiger has been sighted in Dahod district of Gujarat. Return of this big cat makes it the only state to have all the three big cats – tiger, lion, and leopard,” he posted.

According to the National Tiger Conservation Authority, the last official record of a tiger in Gujarat dates back to 1985, when one was spotted in Vyara Taluka and later died in a road accident. During the 1992 tiger census, Gujarat reported zero tigers.

In 2019, a brief sighting of a tiger had sparked discussions, which was later confirmed by the forest department.

Experts believe the tiger may have entered from the neighbouring border of  Maharashtra, given the proximity  to Dahod. 

The Gujarat Forest Department is now closely monitoring the tiger’s movement in the region, using camera traps and patrolling to ensure its safety and gather further data.