A male tiger which had strayed into the Nandankanan Zoo here and escaped by jumping over an 18-ft fence after a month on May 31, has returned, much to the relief of the Odisha government.
"The Royal Bengal Tiger has returned to the zoo probably last night and is being monitored with a CCTV. It has been put in a special enclosure," Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) J D Sharma, said.
The tiger had been roaming around the jurisdiction of the zoo after its escape, he said.
Sharma said the state government has informed the National Tiger Conservation Authority about the tiger's return to the zoo.
"A team of NCTA will visit the zoo soon and take a decision whether to release the tiger in wild," he said.
Forest and Environment minister Bijayshree Routray said that the feline did not harm any human being or domestic animal after its escape.
Stating that steps were being taken to ensure that the tiger did not escape again, Routray said "We are making a foolproof enclosure for the tiger."
The wild animal had strayed into the zoo on April 30. It was shifted to an enclosure on May 30 and it escaped the next night.
