India’s tiger conservation programme faces a major infrastructure challenge, with 22 of the country’s 58 tiger reserves lacking dedicated wildlife rescue centres equipped for veterinary treatment, quarantine and rehabilitation of injured or rescued big cats, according to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
The findings are part of the NTCA’s new publication, “Roadmap to Rescue,” released by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The report notes that 36 tiger reserves currently have 40 wildlife rescue facilities, while large geographical and functional gaps remain across several tiger landscapes.
Tiger reserves without such facilities include Kamlang (Arunachal Pradesh), Orang and Nameri (Assam), Dudhwa (Uttar Pradesh), Indravati (Chhattisgarh), Madhav, Ratapani and Veerangana Durgavati (Madhya Pradesh), Bor (Maharashtra), Simlipal (Odisha), Mukandra Hills, Dholpur-Karauli and Ramgarh Vishdhari (Rajasthan), Kali and Bhadra (Karnataka), Periyar and Parambikulam (Kerala), Srivilliputhur-Megamalai (Tamil Nadu), and Kawal and Amrabad (Telangana).
In the absence of on-site rescue infrastructure, injured or conflict-related tigers often have to be transported to veterinary facilities outside the reserve. This can delay treatment, increase stress on animals and complicate emergency responses during rescue operations.
The NTCA’s roadmap emphasizes the need to establish well-equipped rescue centres across all tiger reserves to strengthen emergency veterinary care, disease management, quarantine protocols and rehabilitation capacity. The initiative aims to improve the country’s preparedness for handling injured, orphaned and conflict-affected tigers while reinforcing long-term tiger conservation efforts.
Wildlife India News 
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