Tigress ‘Sundari’ Released Into Satkosia Tiger Reserve

Angul: The Royal Bengal tigress, brought from Madhya Pradesh’s Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve to Satkosia Tiger Reserve, was released into the wild on Friday afternoon.

Named ‘Sundari’, the tigress was housed in a special enclosure in the core forest area of the tiger reserve since June 28.

Covering a distance of more than 700 km, the animal was brought in a special vehicle by a team of forest officials and veterinary doctors of Odisha and Madhya Pradesh and experts of Wildlife Institute of India (WWI).

The tranquillized tigress later killed and ate a wild boar released into the enclosure by the forest staff after regaining consciousness the same day. The tigress was two-and-half-year-old weighing 134 kg when released into the special enclosure built near that of the Royal Bengal tiger brought from the Kanha National Park on June 21.

The male tiger was released into the wild on July 6.

According to sources, this pair has been released into the forest under the tiger relocation project to increase their population in the reserve.

Another two pairs of tigers will be released into the forest in subsequent phases, the sources added.