GORAKHPUR, Oct. 2 -- : After spending nearly 15 hours on the road from Bihar, a three-year-old tigress took to the skies from Gorakhpur on Thursday afternoon - aboard a special Indian Air Force aircraft bound for West Bengal as part of an inter-state tiger conservation programme.

Rescued from Bihar's Valmiki Tiger Reserve, the tigress was tracked and captured by forest officials and wildlife experts before undergoing a detailed health examination. Once declared fit for translocation, officials fitted her with a radio collar to monitor her movements and behaviour in her new habitat.

Gorakhpur airport was selected as the nearest suitable point for the onward journey. Forest officials and wildlife experts kept a close watch throughout the ...