In a landmark wildlife conservation operation, a three-year-old tigress designated PN-224 was airlifted from Pench Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh to Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan's Bundi district on December 22–23, 2025 — marking India's second inter-state tiger relocation and the first such translocation into Rajasthan. The operation was carried out jointly by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan forest departments, and the Indian Air Force, which deployed a MI-17 helicopter to transport the tranquillised tigress from the Sukatra airstrip in MP to Jaipur. She was subsequently transported by road to Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve, where she was released into a soft-release enclosure on the morning of December 23. Ramgarh Vishdhari, located in Bundi district, was declared Rajasthan's fourth and India's 52nd tiger reserve in 2022. It had largely been a source reserve for tigers dispersing from Ranthambhore. The introduction of PN-224 under the Inter-State Tiger Reintroduction Programme aims to enhance genetic diversity, improve population stability, and reinforce Ramgarh Vishdhari as a self-sustaining tiger habitat. India's first inter-state tiger relocation had been the transfer of a tiger from Kanha to Satkosia in Odisha in 2018 — an operation that ended tragically when the tigress died after a conflict. The Rajasthan operation follows updated NTCA protocols for soft release, closer monitoring, and community engagement to prevent human-wildlife conflict. Rajasthan's tiger count has grown significantly under Project Tiger: Ranthambhore and Sariska together have over 100 tigers, with smaller populations at Mukundra Hills and now Ramgarh Vishdhari. India's national tiger census (2022) counted 3,682 tigers — the world's highest — representing 75% of the global wild tiger population. The translocation underscores India's commitment to expanding viable tiger habitats beyond established reserves and correcting the uneven geographic distribution of the national tiger population.