After more than three decades, Gujarat has officially regained its status as a ‘tiger-present’ state, marking a major milestone in wildlife conservation. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has confirmed the presence of a tiger in the state, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi announced on Friday.
With this confirmation, Gujarat has become home to all three major big cats found in India the Asiatic lion, leopard and tiger a rare and significant ecological distinction. According to forest department records, tigers had gone extinct in Gujarat in 1989, nearly 36 years ago.
The development follows the Gujarat Forest Department’s announcement last month that a wandering tiger had settled in the Ratanmahal Wildlife Sanctuary in Dahod district. Continuous camera-trap and CCTV evidence has now established that the animal has made the sanctuary its permanent habitat.
“After 30-plus years, Gujarat roars back onto India’s tiger map. With confirmed camera-trap evidence from Ratanmahal Wildlife Sanctuary, the NTCA has officially reinstated Gujarat as a tiger-present state for the 2026 census,” Sanghavi said in a post on social media platform X. Calling it a proud moment, he credited vigilant forest teams and the state’s improving ecosystems, adding that nature finds its way back when protected well.
Forest and Environment Minister Arjun Modhwadia said an NTCA team recently visited Gujarat, conducted field studies and prepared a preliminary report confirming the presence of one tiger in the state. He noted that tigers once roamed Gujarat’s forests before disappearing decades ago, and the current sighting signals a hopeful return.
“Our staff first spotted the tiger in Ratanmahal Wildlife Sanctuary around eight months ago. Continuous monitoring later established that the big cat had settled in the forest,” Modhwadia said. He added that the NTCA has also recommended several measures to strengthen the ecosystem to support tiger conservation, many of which the state has already begun implementing.
To ensure sufficient prey for the tiger’s survival, the forest department has relocated herbivores to the sanctuary in recent months. Officials confirmed that the tiger was first captured on CCTV cameras inside Ratanmahal forests in February and has since been regularly recorded, confirming its continued presence.
Modhwadia recalled that in February 2019, a tiger was detected in Lunawada tehsil of Mahisagar district, raising hopes of revival. However, those hopes were dashed when the animal was found dead two weeks later. The current confirmation, therefore, holds special significance for conservation efforts in the state.
Gujarat is globally known as the last natural habitat of the Asiatic lion, and the return of the tiger adds a new chapter to its wildlife legacy. Conservationists see the development as a reflection of improved forest protection, habitat management and long-term ecological recovery in the region.