The tiger, rescued from the Sunderbans, is freed from the cage at the enclosure in South Khayerbari on Wednesday. Picture by Anirban Choudhury

Alipurduar, Nov. 25: A tiger rescued from the Sunderbans was released in an enclosure in South Khayerbari this morning where it had been recuperating in a cage for 15 months following the amputation of the left hind leg.

The three-year-old male tiger was named Raja by the forest staff who decided to free the animal as it was fit to move and had adapted to the new environment.

For half-an-hour, the big cat paced down the enclosure, climbed up and down a 9ft high tree, before it returned to the cage. As Raja roared, tigers kept in the nearby enclosures went back to their cages.

The other big cats were with circus groups and they were brought to South Khayerbari after the government had banned the use of the tiger for entertainment.

Raja was caught after it had strayed into a village in the Jharkhali area of the Sundarbans on February 22, 2008. The animal had a deep wound on the left hind leg as it was probably bitten by a dog shark.

The tiger was brought to Alipore Zoo in Calcutta where the vets excised the leg below the knee to save its life. The animal was called Thangkata (one which has its legs chopped off) at the zoo. As the big cat had lost the ability to hunt, it was not possible to send it back to the forest.

“On August 23 last year, the tiger was shifted to South Khayerbari, 44km from here, on the order of the Central Zoo Authority as the Alipore facility was overcrowded. At Khayerbari, the tiger was kept under the observation of the vet, Proloy Mandal,” said S.B. Patel, chief conservator of forests, wildlife, north Bengal.

Over the months, the staff noticed, Raja’s condition improved and it started moving freely on its three legs. The foresters decided to give the animal more space and the door of the cage was lifted at 10am today.

For a few minutes initially, Raja refused to come out of the cage and then jumped into the open space. It drank water from a pool in the enclosure and tourists were happy to watch its movements.

After spending 30 minutes outside, it entered the cage and the gate was closed.

“We are happy to see Raja moving freely in the enclosure after a long period. As one of its legs was cut off, we could not send it back to the forest. As per the report from our staff, Raja is quite fit to move around in the enclosure,” said Patel.

A tiger lives around 15 years in the wild, but in captivity, it survives two-three years more. “The longevity of a tiger in captivity is more because it gets food daily, unlike in the forest. Moreover, in the wild, a tiger has to share its kill with others. It’s hunting skill, too, declines with age,” said a forest officer.