Inter-State Tiger Translocation To Continue In Odisha: NTCA

Bhubaneswar: The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) on Saturday made it clear that despite the death of a male Royal Bengal tiger in Satkosia sanctuary, the inter-state tiger translocation project will continue in Odisha.

“The inter-state tiger translocation project in Odisha, which has been temporarily put on hold following the death of the Royal Bengal tiger in Satkosia sanctuary, will resume after a detailed meeting with the state government and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII),” NTCA IG, Amit Mallick told mediapersons here after his return from Satkosia in the evening, after investigating into the death of the tiger for two days.
Asked about the cause of the death of the Bengal tiger, Mallick said the exact cause of the death is yet to be determined. “We will analyse the cause of the death on the basis of the post-mortem report,” he pointed out.

Talking to mediapersons, K Ramesh, an expert of the WII, who had also gone with the NTCA team to Satkosia for investigation, the post-mortem of the tiger has been done in accordance with the NTCA protocol.

Following the death of the Bengal tiger Mahavir, whose carcass was found inside a bush in the sanctuary on November 14, NTCA had put the inter-state tiger translocation project in Odisha on hold.
Mahavir was brought from the Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh on June 20 and kept inside the enclosure at Raigoda on June 21. After observing his behaviour, the forest officials had released him in the wild of Satkosia on July 6.