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Uttarakhand: First tiger to be shifted to Rajaji from Corbett Tiger Reserve this week
The project for translocation of tigers to the western part of Rajaji was approved by the Central government in 2016
After four years, as part of a translocation project, the first tiger will be shifted from Corbett Tiger Reserve to Rajaji Tiger Reserve this week, said forest officials.
JS Suhag, chief wildlife warden of Uttarakhand forest department, said, “All preparations have been done for the translocation process in both Corbett and Rajaji. A team will leave for Corbett on Thursday, and we are hopeful that by the end of this week, the first tiger will be tranquilised and translocated.”
The project for translocation of tigers to the western part of Rajaji was approved by the Centre in 2016.
Suhag added that the tiger will be brought to the western part of Rajaji where it will be radio collared first and its health will be monitored before a soft release.
Last September, a team from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) had visited Rajaji to conduct reconnaissance for the translocation exercise and had suggested a soft release of a pair of tigers in the reserve’s western side. In a soft release, tigers are released in a large enclosed area where they are kept for a few days to check if they have any diseases before being released in the wild.
A total of five tigers, three males and two females, will be translocated to Rajaji.
Rahul, field director of Corbett Tiger Reserve, who goes only by his first name, said, “Tigers of different age groups have been identified for translocation from the buffer areas (Terai west forest division) of the reserve. Some tigers are around three-four years old while some are between six-eight years old. Different tigers have been identified so that capturing process is easier.”
In October, for better protection and preparing villagers ahead of the translocation of tigers in Rajaji Tiger Reserve, the park administration had started working on forming 40 vigilance protection teams in villages bordering the reserve.
At present, Rajaji Tiger Reserve has around 37 tigers with only two tigresses in its western part, which is spread over 570 sq km. The reserve has a carrying capacity of 83 tigers, revealed a recent survey conducted by the state forest department.
“We are working to improve the tiger population in Rajaji Tiger Reserve, with the translocation process being the first step. In the western part of the reserve, we are also identifying other methods like habitat improvement, increasing prey base to increase the number of tigers in future,” added Suhag.
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.
