After six months of treatment and rehabilitation following a life-threatening encounter with a deer snare, a Bengal tigress returned to the Sundarbans on Sunday, the Forest Department said.

Nirmal Kumar Pal, divisional forest officer in Khulna, told Daily Waadaa that the 10 year-old tigress had made a full recovery, regaining her strength, agility, and normal body weight before returning to the wild.

The tigress was transported from Khulna to the Andharmanik forest area in the Chandpai Range of Mongla in a specially designed cage. When officials opened the cage, she stood still for a few moments, seemingly hesitant. Then, with a single leap, she disappeared into the dense mangrove wilderness.

Her fight for survival began six months ago when she became trapped in a deer snare set by poachers. With a severely injured front leg, a bloodied body, and in excruciating pain, the majestic animal lay helpless deep inside the Sundarbans before a group of teenagers discovered her in January this year with front left leg caught in a synthetic rope snare intended for deer.

The following day, the Forest Department rescued her and transported her to the Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation Division's rehabilitation centre in Khulna for treatment.

After prolonged antibiotic treatment and regular wound dressing, the injury healed completely.

Nirmal said a medical board met on Friday and confirmed that the tigress had recovered sufficiently. Following the board's recommendation and consultations with tiger experts on Saturday, the Forest Department made the final decision to release her back into the wild.

The department ultimately abandoned its initial plan to fit the tigress with a radio collar. The decision was influenced by past controversies surrounding the deaths of two radio-collared tigers.

Instead, officials have installed 20 camera traps across different parts of the Sundarbans to monitor her movements, survival, and natural behaviour.

Professor Dr Mohammad Abdul Aziz of the Department of Zoology at Jahangirnagar University told Daily Waadaa that the recovered tigress is expected to resume hunting normally.

According to the latest 2024 survey, the Sundarbans is home to 125 Royal Bengal tigers, up from 106 recorded in 2015.

Wildlife experts say the big cats frequently become victims of synthetic rope snares illegally set to catch deer in the forest, posing a serious threat to the Sundarbans' fragile ecosystem.