79 spotted deer moved to Chandoli National Park as part of conservation efforts

The translocation is intended to strengthen the prey base within Chandoli, an essential ecological requirement for sustaining carnivore populations and supporting future tiger recovery

In a significant step to strengthen prey populations in the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve (STR), authorities translocated 79 chitals (spotted deer) to Chandoli National Park on Saturday, November 22. The initiative marks the first major field operation under the newly formalised collaboration between STR and the RESQ Charitable Trust (RESQ CT).

They were released into a specially designated enclosure, where officials will closely monitor them to ensure they adapt successfully before gradually integrating into the wild. (HT PHOTO)

The deer, previously housed at Mahatma Gandhi Zoo in Solapur, underwent mandatory health checks and standard procedures before being transported to Chandoli. There, they were released into a specially designated enclosure, where officials will closely monitor them to ensure they adapt successfully before gradually integrating into the wild. A senior STR official emphasised that this monitoring phase is crucial for the animals’ long-term survival.

The translocation is intended to strengthen the prey base within Chandoli, an essential ecological requirement for sustaining carnivore populations and supporting future tiger recovery. Teams from STR and RESQ CT jointly conducted the operation, deploying trained veterinary and technical staff.

The initiative follows the recent signing of an MoU between STR and RESQ CT to enhance scientific wildlife management, emergency veterinary support, human–wildlife conflict mitigation and long-term conservation planning across the larger Sahyadri landscape.

Commenting on the development, STR field director Tushar Chavan, IFS, said, “Strengthening our wildlife management systems through science-driven planning, skilled technical teams and professional veterinary support is essential for safeguarding biodiversity in the Sahyadri landscape.”

Neha Panchamiya, founder and president of RESQ Charitable Trust, added, “We hope our shared approach will lead to safer field operations, improved veterinary care and stronger conservation outcomes for the species and ecosystems that depend on this landscape.”

The spotted deer translocation comes soon after another landmark STR initiative, the release of a relocated tigress from Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve into Chandoli. Officials view this as a crucial step in restoring tiger presence in a reserve that has historically recorded low big-cat numbers.

Together, the Spotted Deer augmentation and tigress release are key components of a multi-phase strategy to rebuild a stable predator-prey balance and strengthen ecological resilience across the Sahyadri landscape.

Box: Reassessment in Katraj Zoo soon

Under the ongoing prey-based augmentation programme, STR officials had earlier planned to translocate more than 100 additional Spotted Deer from the Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park in Katraj. A team led by Amit Bhise, former assistant conservator of forests, Chandoli, assessed the population on August 4.

However, the plan was postponed after 16 spotted deer died between July 6 and 12 following a Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak.

Discussing the next steps, field director Chavan said, “We will conduct a reassessment of spotted deer in Katraj zoo, and a further decision about shifting those deer will be taken after the reassessment report.”