Odisha To Get 14 Tigers For Satkosia Reserve From Maharashtra

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Bhubaneswar: Odisha is likely to receive new guests for the Satkosia Tiger Reserve (STR) in Angul district with the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) approving an inter-state translocation programme.

Sources said NTCA has given its nod for big cat relocation project from Maharashtra’s Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) which may provide a major boost to revive the tiger population in Odisha.

Following the NTCA’s reported approval for the interstate tiger translocation project, the Forest department officials at Satkosia have made a five-year plan for translocation of 14 tigers in a phased manner to the reserve.

If things move as per plan, the forest authorities will be able to translocate 14 tigers to Satkosia reserve in the next five years. Plans are afoot to bring the tigers from Maharashtra as the big cats in that state are genetically related to Odisha tigers, according to Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF-Wildlife) Susanta Nanda.

Stating that the NTCA has also laid down certain conditions for the relocation project, he said the Forest department will begin the tiger project once the conditions are met.

Before launching the project, detailed discussions will be held with local residents and public representatives. All settlements have been evacuated from the core area, while six villages have been vacated from the buffer area and some villages will be vacated, he said.

However, similar a similar experiment in the past appeared to have failed in the state. Mahavir, a tiger, was translocated from Kanha Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh as part of the re-introduction project in June 2018. It was found dead after a few months.

Similarly, Sundari was brought from Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, also in MP, the same year and it had to be sent back as the country’s first experiment of interstate relocation of tigers failed.