Overview
- The animal is a young male estimated at about four to five years old, first documented in February 2025 near the Jhabua–Kathiwada border.
- Continuous monitoring with camera traps and field teams has verified its sustained presence, and authorities have released clear photographs.
- This is the first permanent tiger presence recorded in Gujarat in roughly 32 years.
- State leaders say Gujarat now supports lions, leopards and a tiger in the same landscape, with the environment minister calling the development a proud moment.
- Forest officials are prioritizing prey augmentation, water and habitat security and cross‑border surveillance in a sanctuary that straddles Madhya Pradesh, informed by a 2019 case where a newly arrived tiger died due to low prey.