IDUKKI: She was barely two months old and her mother rejected her as her hind legs were paralysed. She was weak, hungry and her scared eyes reflected her pangs as help arrived.
Two forest guards, who were on a routine patrol, picked up and brought her back to life. Two months on, Mangala, the disabled tiger cub is slowly learning the lessons of life under the watchful eyes of a veterinarian and two forest staffers at Periyar National Park in Thekkady.
On November 22, a forest patrol team spotted the tiger cub crying for help in the deep jungles near Mangaladevi temple at Thekkady in Idukki district. Mangala was staring at the death when help arrived as her mother had rejected her. She was weak, feeble, and scared as the forest staff picked her up. They
searched around but the mother was nowhere around. Realising that the cub will die if they leave her, the duo took her to the forest range office in Thekkady. It is the law of the jungle; Mothers will leave disabled cubs to destiny.
They realised there was little chance for the cub to survive as her hind legs were paralysed and she had poor vision. That was when Periyar East division forest deputy director Sunil Babu stepped in to give her a chance to survive. He roped in three veterinarians who started nursing the cub with the help of two forest guards. The three veterinarians -- Syama, Sibi, and Nisha -- started grooming the cub, giving physiotherapy treatment to revive her legs. They named her Mangala and gave her food supplements to gain strength. Two months on, the cub has grown to 7.5 kg and has gained strength on her hind legs.
"We want to groom the cub in a wild atmosphere and help her adapt to the wild. We are keeping her away from humans and only the doctor and two guards are attending her. This is the first time in India, a tiger cub rescued from the wild is being treated and groomed. Now she is kept in a shelter where only authorised persons are allowed. In the next phase we will be releasing her into a protected enclosure where she will be trained to hunt," said Sunil Babu.
Dr. Anurag, the veterinarian who is now attending the cub, says the work has started to establish an enclosure for Mangala in the forest. There will be a pool, a shelter to rest, and enough space for the animal to move around and acclimatizing to the wild.
"We are giving her daily exercise to rejuvenate her legs. A small pool has been set up to help her learn swimming. She has blurred vision and needs surgery. We check her weight on a daily basis and eyesight every two days. We have provided her a tiger toy and she plays with it. She is now four months old and we provide her chicken, beef, and protein supplements twice a day. For fibre diet we give carrot. Once she completes six months we will have to shift her into an enclosure," said Anurag.
"It is common for the wild animals to reject the disabled cubs as they will not be able to survive. Now she has gained strength and we are grooming the cub
with minimal human intervention to help her understand the wild. If she gets close to humans she will tend to live near human habitations after release and it will lead to conflict. The training is being provided as per the guidelines of the National Tiger Foundation," said Range officer Akhil Babu.
The Forest department is planning to develop a 100 hectares enclosure in the Periyar sanctuary where rescued animals will be released and Mangala will be the first to learn the lessons of hunting in the enclosure. She will be released into the wild with a radio collar once she grows and gains strength.