The Indian Air Force’s MI-17 helicopter airlifted three-year-old tigress PN-224 from Madhya Pradesh’s Pench Tiger Reserve to Rajasthan’s Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve on December 21, 2025, marking India’s first interstate tiger translocation by chopper. After eluding teams for 24 days, the tigress was surrounded by elephants, tranquilized on Sunday afternoon, and flown from Sukatra airstrip around 4:55-6:00 PM, landing in Jaipur before road transfer and release into the Bajalia enclosure by Monday morning. Coordinated by Pench field director Devprasad J, deputy director Rajneesh Singh, veterinarians Dr Akhilesh Mishra and Dr Prashant Deshmukh, plus Rajasthan’s Suganaram Jat and Dr Tejinder—who camped in Pench for eight days—the month-long operation used 50 AI camera traps for monitoring, boosting genetic diversity and tiger numbers. From an Indian security lens, IAF’s logistical prowess in precision wildlife ops underscores dual-use capabilities for border conservation amid ecological pressures.