Gujarat Roars Back: Tiger State Status Reclaimed After 33 Years

• Gujarat officially re-enters India's 'Tiger Map' after 33 years, included in NTCA's 2026 Tiger Census.
• A nearly four-year-old tiger has permanently settled in Ratanmahal Sanctuary, Dahod, after entering from the Gujarat-Madhya Pradesh border.
• CCTV footage and camera-trap evidence confirmed the tiger's continuous presence for 10 months, leading to NTCA's decision.
• Plans include radio-tagging the tiger, training forest officials, and searching for a female tiger in nearby areas like Alirajpur, MP.
• NTCA will assess prey availability (ungulate population) before considering Ratanmahal as a Tiger Reserve or translocating a tigress.

Why It Matters: Gujarat regains 'Tiger State' status after 33 years with a tiger settling in Ratanmahal Sanctuary.