Tigress from Maharashtra released into enclosure in Odisha’s Similipal core area

STR field director Prakash Chand Gogineni said tigress ‘Jamuna’ from Tadoba tiger reserve of Maharashtra was safely released into a soft enclosure

Updated on: Oct 28, 2024, 21:33:34 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha government on Monday attempted translocation of tigers releasing a tigress from Maharashtra into an enclosure in the core area of Similipal Tiger Reserve of Mayurbhanj district, the state’s biggest tiger reserve

Odisha’s chief wildlife warden Susanta Nanda said bringing the tigress from other states would increase the genetic diversity among tigers in Similipal (X/)

Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) field director Prakash Chand Gogineni said the two-and-a-half-year-old tigress from Tadoba tiger reserve of Maharashtra was safely released into a soft enclosure of around two hectares in the core area of Similipal on Monday. “The tigress is active and healthy,” he said.

After the tigress was flown 900 km in a special transport vehicle from Maharashtra on Saturday to reach Similipal.

The tigress will be radio-collared to monitor its movement. A six-member team comprising forest frontline staff of Similipal and a GIS expert have undergone training at Nawegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve (NNTR) in Maharashtra to learn how to track the tigress and assist STR authorities in monitoring activities.

The translocation is part of an effort to improve the genetic diversity of Similipal tigers.

A study by researchers including scientists from the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bengaluru concluded that the odd coat colouration and patterning in Similipal’s black tigers may have arisen from a very small founding population of tigers and are inbred.

“Bringing female tigers from other forests and an increase in the tiger population will help increase the genetic diversity among tigers in Similipal,” said chief wildlife warden Susanta Nanda.

The translocation of the tigress comes six years due to the the outcome of the first inter-state tiger relocation programme in Satkosia tiger reserve of Odisha. Tigress ‘Sundari’ was brought from the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh to Satkosia tiger reserve of Odisha in June 2018 as part of the inter-state tiger translocation project and released into Satkosia Tiger Reserve in August the same year. However, it had to be shifted to an enclosure in the tiger reserve after it killed a 45-year-old woman and a 65-year-old man living in the reserve in September 2018 triggering violence by locals who burnt the forest department’s boats and beat house.

Mahabir, a male tiger relocated from Madhya Pradesh to Satkosia reserve in June 2018, died due to metal snares placed by poachers.

In December 2019, the National Tiger Conservation Authority blamed the Odisha forest and wildllife department for making a mess out of the monitoring and management of the relocated tigress and told Odisha to return the tigress to MP.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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