DECADES AFTER the tiger was declared extinct in the state, Gujarat has now seen the return of one that was first spotted nearly nine months ago in Dahod district’s Ratanmahal Wildlife Sanctuary, which borders Jhabua and Kathiwada regions of Madhya Pradesh that are both known for tiger population.

With this, Gujarat has become a state with a presence of three out of four big cats – lions, tiger and leopard – and is on course to add the fourth, cheetah, officials said on Wednesday.

As the ‘Project Cheetah’ is underway, the state is preparing Banni Grasslands in Kutch-Asia’s largest grasslands to host a cheetah breeding and conservation centre. A 600-hectare enclosure is being developed jointly funded by the Centre and the Gujarat government.

Government officials said the tiger has marked

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