Chandrapur: A tigress has been successfully captured for relocation from the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in this district of Maharashtra to the Simlipal Tiger Reserve (STR), a senior forest official said here Wednesday. This marks the first inter-state tiger relocation from Maharashtra to any other state, the official added. The tigress (T-163) is being transported by road in a specially-equipped vehicle, accompanied by veterinarians for monitoring during the journey. This relocation is part of a broader effort authorised by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) to move two female tigers (aged 2-3 years) from TATR to STR.
The move aims to strengthen the tiger population in Simlipal, following the successful relocation of another tigress, T-158, earlier this year. Jitendra Ramgaokar, field director of TATR, informed that Maharashtra’s chief wildlife warden issued the necessary permits for the relocation after the ministry’s approval. He added that the field teams of TATR had been tracking potential candidates since October 20. During the course of translocation, Tigress T-163 was captured in the Zinkanat beat, within the core area of TATR’s Karwa range.