Odisha’s Nandankanan zoo plans re-wilding of captive tigers

On the occasion of International Tiger Day, officials said that Odisha’s Nandankanan zoo is conducting a research on the genetic health of captive tigers in association with Bangalore-based National Centre for Biological Sciences

Odisha’s Nandankanan zoo in Bhubaneswar is set to be the first zoo in the country to pioneer a captive tiger’s re-wilding process in about a year’s time, official said.

Re-wilding is a conservation strategy wherein captive-born animals learn to survive in natural environment (Representative Image/ANI)

On the occasion of International Tiger Day, director of the zoo, Manoj V Nair on Friday said Nandankanan zoo in association with Bangalore-based National Centre for Biological Sciences, will conduct research on the genetic health of the zoo’s tigers. The re-wilding process can start after the research findings arrive in a year’s time.

“We have a wild tiger named ‘Nandan’ in our zoo which strayed into the zoo in April 2013 from wild. Our plan is to pass on his breed to more cubs so that we can release them in tiger deficient areas in our state. If things go well, Nandankanan could be the first zoo to successfully carry out tiger re-wilding process,” said Nair.

Nandan later mated with tigress Megha and fathered two cubs in 2016 and three more in 2021.

Re-wilding of wild animals is a process wherein captive-born animals learn to survive in natural environment. It is a conservation strategy aimed at restoring natural processes and wilderness areas and reintroducing large herbivores and predators. It was first academically defined in 1998 by American conservation biologists Michael Soule and Reed Noss.

Nandankanan zoo has 26 tigers of which 16 are of common breed while the numbers of black and white tigers are three and seven respectively.

However, noted wildlife conservationist Biswajit Mohanty said such re-wilding processes have mostly failed in India and Nandankanan officials could be disappointed soon.

“How can they teach the tigers to hunt which is a normal instinct. Besides, Odisha forests are over-run with poachers as the death of a 3-year-old male tiger that was brought to Satkosia tiger reserve in Odisha from Madhya Pradesh in June 2018 and killed by metal snares of poachers in November 2018 showed. Tigers vanished from Odisha forests due to indiscriminate poaching over the last two decades. How can the forest department be trusted to keep the big cats safe?” asked Mohanty.