Bhubaneswar/Angul: The process for the release of the Royal Bengal tigress Sundari into the wild of Satkosia Wildlife Sanctuary for the second time in Odisha’s Angul district has been put on hold.
Acting on the directive of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the state Forest department had shifted a trained (Kumki) female elephant Yashoda from Godibari area in the Chandaka sanctuary, on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, to Satkosia in a truck on Tuesday to keep a round-the-clock watch on the tigress.
However, the forest staff brought back the elephant to Godibari midway in the afternoon.
While the reason for the sudden change of plans was not immediately known, reliable sources in the department attributed it to the Forest and Environment minister.
Also Read: Sundari To Be Released In Satkosia
It may be recalled that following the death of a woman of Hatibari village on September 12 and later a man of Tainsi village on October 27 last year, who were suspected to have been killed by the tigress after her release into the wild on August 18, the Forest and Environment Minister Bijasyshree Routray had said the tigress would be kept inside an enclosure at Nandankanan Zoological Park.
The tigress had spread panic in the area, pouncing on livestock and attacking people. After relentless efforts, she was finally captured on November 6 and kept inside an enclosure at Raigoda in the core area of the sanctuary.
