After a National Tiger Conservation Authority (NCTA) team's findings about the absence of tigers in Panna Tiger Reserve, the Madhya Pradesh Government admitted on Tuesday about the fact that reserve has no big cat except two felines trans located from other parks.
Minister of state for Forests, Rajendra Shukla told Assembly that no big cat was found in Panna during a census conducted by forest department here, barring two felines that were brought there from other parks to revive tigers' population.
Replying to a question from Mahendra Singh (Congress), the Minister said that around 24 tigers existed in 2006 in Panna Park, according to a landscape census of the big cat in the park spread over an area of 543 sq km and Chhattarpur district of eastern Madhya Pradesh.
The government's statement about tiger population assumes significance in the backdrop of state forest officials claim about the presence of a tiger in Panna Park, following which two tigresses were brought in March there to revive stripped animal's population.
According to state forest department census of the stripped animals furnished in the house, Panna had highest number of 34 big cats in 2004 and the number was 25 a decade ago.
{{/usCountry}}According to state forest department census of the stripped animals furnished in the house, Panna had highest number of 34 big cats in 2004 and the number was 25 a decade ago.
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