With practiced precision, Dr. Shrestha began the delicate surgery to open the tiger’s stomach. Working carefully under the glowing lanterns, the team watched in silence as the veteran vet navigated the blockage. Within minutes, his fingers brushed against a solid, unnatural object lodged tightly inside the stomach lining. Carefully easing the object loose, Shrestha lifted it out and placed it into a clean metal medical tray with a sharp clink.
The team crowded around to look. It was a heavy, rectangular block of black plastic, sealed tightly with industrial-strength resin. Protruding from its side was a short, flexible wire antenna. This was no natural object—it was a military-grade, long-range GPS tracking device. “Smart-baiting,” a detective said three hours later, staring intently at the mysterious black box now resting on a plastic table inside the park’s secure briefing room.