A straying Tiger swims over 100 km across river Brahmaputra

Guwahati: Forest officials and a rescue team saved a royal Bengal tiger from drowning in the river Brahmaputra after it swam across from the Oranga National Park about 120 km away.

Before it was tranquilised, the exhausted tiger shored up on the Peacock Island near Guwajati which is famous for the ancient Umananda temple.

Footage showed the tiger flitting with its snoot up in the water and then hiding in a narrow cave on the island.

The tiger is believed to have been swept away from the Oranga National Park in the currents of Brahmaputra while drinking water, according to NDTV.

Devotees of the temple panicked as they tiger was seen closing in on the island.

A unit of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), stationed nearby, arrived at the scene along with the local police.

Alongside, a rescue team including veterinarians rushed to the spot in boats.

"The tiger was stuck between two large rocks and the rescue team had to carry out the operation very cautiously," news agency PTI reported quoting an official.

Tranquilizing the tiger from distance before it fall back in the river from the cave proved difficult for the team.

"After the team was sure that the tiger has been fully tranquilised, they proceeded to rescue and capture it and put the animal into a cage. This took considerable time as the space between the rocks was very narrow," the official reportedly said.

Ahead of tranquilising the tiger, devotees heading to the temple were evacuated, according to the report.