Five tigers will be translocated from the Corbett landscape to the western side of the Rajaji Tiger Reserve this year of which, a pair will be shifted by April, said senior forest officials.
Rajaji Tiger Reserve director PK Patro said the process of translocation of tigers from Corbett landscape is underway and the officials are preparing for a soft release as of now. “A pair of tigers, a male and a female, will be released in the western side of the reserve by April. For a soft release, we are working on an enclosure which will be ready by the end of this month,” he said.
The tigers will be kept in an enclosed area of about a hectare and the big cats will be checked for any kind of diseases. “If they are directly released into the forest, it will be difficult for us to tranquilise them and capture them in case they catch an infection or spread it to the other tigers,” he added. In September last year, a team from the National Tiger Conservation Authority visited the Rajaji Tiger Reserve to check the preparations for the translocation process and suggested that a soft release of a tiger pair be done to the western side reserve.
During the last tiger estimation, Rajaji had 34 resident tigers, including 32 in its eastern part which is spread across 150 sq km area, and two in the western part which covers 570 sq km. The eastern and the western part of the reserve are divided by a busy traffic corridor making it difficult for the tigers to migrate between the two parts.
{{/usCountry}}During the last tiger estimation, Rajaji had 34 resident tigers, including 32 in its eastern part which is spread across 150 sq km area, and two in the western part which covers 570 sq km. The eastern and the western part of the reserve are divided by a busy traffic corridor making it difficult for the tigers to migrate between the two parts.
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