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Tiger translocated from Corbett to Rajaji Reserve lost radio-collar, located through camera-trap image: Uttarakhand Forest dept
The tiger was released in the western part of Rajaji Tiger Reserve by state forest minister Harak Singh Rawat past Saturday
A six-year-old male tiger that was translocated from Corbett Tiger Reserve to Rajaji Tiger Reserve on Saturday is reported to have lost its radio-collar. However, officials said that the tiger is present in the reserve.
JS Suhag, chief wildlife warden of Uttarakhand forest department, said, “It is a young male tiger which has a lot of power and aggression. It is likely that it removed the radio-collar on its own. But the tiger is present in the reserve as it was camera trapped on January 10.”
The chief wildlife warden added that the forest department’s main objective is to safely translocate the tigers to the western part of Rajaji with the aim of repopulating the landscape.
“We have been monitoring tigers in Rajaji Tiger Reserve even without radio collars. Our aim is to translocate the tigers and their monitoring will be done through camera traps and patrolling as done for other animals,” added Suhag.
On Saturday, the tiger was released in the western part of Rajaji Tiger Reserve, in Motichur area, by state forest minister Harak Singh Rawat.
Before this, on December 24, a four-year-old tigress was translocated and released in a temporary enclosure in Rajaji Tiger Reserve. The tigress was translocated as part of a project to repopulate the western part of Rajaji, already home to two tigresses, which has not reported breeding in almost a decade.
The project for translocation of tigers to the western part of Rajaji was approved by the Central government in 2016. A total of five tigers will be translocated to Rajaji.
Rajaji Tiger Reserve currently has around 37 tigers with only three tigresses in its western part, which is spread over 570 sq km. It has a carrying capacity of 83 tigers, revealed a recent survey conducted by the state forest department. 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.
Caption: Camera trap image from Sunday of tiger that was translocated to Rajaji Tiger Reserve on Saturday.
