What : Introduction of  orphaned or abandoned tiger cubs to wild

Who says about this : National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) under Section 38(O) of The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 specifies 3 ways about this

What are the ways :

• Reunite the abandoned cubs with their mother.
• Shift the cub to a suitable zoo if mother is not available
• Reintroduction of the cub into the wild after a certain time when it appears that the cub is capable of surviving in the wild independently(Rewindling)

What else the rules say :

• Tiger cub should be reared in an in situ enclosure for a minimum of two years
• Each cub should have a successful record of at least 50 ‘kills’
• Within the enclosure, the persons responsible for handling cubs must approach them by putting a tiger mask along with work day clothes of a tiger stripe pattern smeared with tiger urine and faeces.
• Should be in prime health, and of dispersing age (three/four years) There should be no abnormality/incapacitation

What does experts say : The chance of success is less than 1 per cent if we look at all the failures of reintroductions. Tigers have killer humans in the past

What is in news : The recent attempt of Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) to reintroduce into the wild an abandoned nine-month-old cub named Mangala after rearing it in ‘captivity’ for two years has once again brought the controversial concept of ‘re-wilding’ of abandoned or injured animals under the lens