Rajasthan set to witness first inter-state translocation of tiger

Kota (Rajasthan) Dec 6 (PTI) Marking the state's first inter-state tiger translocation and the country's second, a tigress is set to be airlifted from the Pench Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh to around 800 km away in Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve (RVTR) in Rajasthan's Bundi in the next few weeks, officials said.

Under the translocation plan approved by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, five tigers will be brought to Rajasthan in phase 1.

Following the clearance from the defence ministry to use a helicopter to airlift the tigress, the preparations for the first translocation were launched on Friday last week, with the forest field teams from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh jointly kicking off the operation in the dense forest of the Pench Tiger Reserve.

At least 10-12 teams, each consisting of three-four trained personnel, and four elephant squads were deployed to comb through the forest to locate the tigress identified for translocation.

The country witnessed the first attempt to relocate tigers across states from Madhya Pradesh's Kanha Tiger Reserve to Odisha's Satkosia Tiger Reserve in 2018. However, the project ended in failure.

According to officials from the Forest Department, the identified tigress was on Friday fitted with a radio-collar for intensive monitoring over the next few days to assess her movement, behaviour, and overall fitness.

On the basis of movement inputs of the tigress received from the AI-enabled camera trap system on Friday morning, teams led by Rajnish Kumar Singh, deputy director, Pench Tiger Reserve, moved towards the probable location of the tigress and were able to locate and visually confirm the identity of the tigress, said Sugnaram Jat, field director, Mukundara Hill Tiger Reserve, who is supervising the operation in Pench.

Following the successful identification, the tigress was tranquillised by a veterinary team led by Dr Akhilesh Mishra on the same day, following which it was radio-collared by trained specialists.

Based on the observations, the next course of action regarding her transportation to Rajasthan will be finalised, the official said, according to a press release.

"All preparations for relocation of the tigress in the RVTR have been done, and after further clearance from the Air Force for helicopter, a mock-drill will be conducted and the identified tigress, radio-collared on Friday, is expected to reach the RVTR, Bundi, within the next week," Deputy Conservator of Forest (DCF), RVTR, Arun Kumar D told PTI on Saturday.

Ex-wildlife warden Prithvi Singh Rajawat said the project will boost the tiger population while overcoming inbreeding challenges. However, adequate measures still need to be put in place. PTI COR MNK MNK