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DNA test suggests Maharashtra's iconic tiger Jai still around

ALL IS WELL | Forest department officials found the hair sample in July in Bhandara district, say it likely means the tiger is alive and in his natural habitat

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In what is being claimed as a major breakthrough in the search for Maharashtra's iconic tiger Jai, forest department officials on Saturday said hair samples collected from Bhandara district in July have shown a DNA match with the missing feline. This, officials said, suggests that Jai, who went missing from the Umred Karhandla wildlife sanctuary in mid-April may be alive and in his natural habitat.

A senior forest department official said hair samples collected from the Adyal range in Bhandara district had matched Jai's DNA samples. "This shows Jai may be alive... (But) it is very difficult to locate a tiger in its natural habitat," he added.

Another senior official said that because the sample was collected from an area where Jai was reportedly sighted on July 12, there is "reason to believe that he alive".

"The DNA from the hair samples matches that of Jai. That means Jai had been there," said Bilal Habib, a scientist with the Department of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Wildlife Institute of India (WII), and who had radio-collared Jai. He added that considering the rainfall and likelihood of water run-off draining away any old hair, the hair sample is likely not "too old" and could have been shed just a few days before the samples were collected. He said that experts had matched the hair to Jai's DNA to a 99% accuracy.

The department had collected scat and hair samples from the spot; while the scat did not yield any DNA, the hair samples did. The last known location of the seven-feet, 250-kg Jai – named after Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan's iconic character from the film 'Sholay' and known for his penchant for posing for photographs – was at Paoni range near Umred Karhandla on April 18 when his radio collar is suspected to have malfunctioned.

Jai's falling off the grid led to a massive outcry, followed by a search operation by the forest department, wildlife enthusiasts, and NGOs, The department also scanned data from the state electricity distribution utility to check if any tripping had occurred due to electrocution of a large animal.

"We have checked all possibilities... there is no clue to whether he is dead or alive," a source said, adding that there was no larger cause for concern as the wildlife sanctuary had seven young male tigers.
Born in the Navegaon-Nagzira tiger project, Jai first migrated to UKWLS around 150 km away in 2013 and later to Bramhapuri . As the alpha male in the sanctuary, he is credited with successfully populating it by fathering over 20 cubs.

"Tigers are territorial animals," said the source, who declined to be named, noting that Jai was about seven-eight years old, an age when tigers are typically challenged by younger males for the leadership position. UKWLS has seven sub-adult males and its 187 sq km, area may not have had the holding capacity for such a large number of males, which may have led to Jai moving out to newer areas.

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