Bhubaneswar: One year after the death of relocated male tiger Mahavir, National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has decided to suspend the Satkosia tiger relocation project. The tigress Sundari will be sent to Kanha tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh.
In a bid to increase population of big cats in the state, the government has undertaken the country’s first ever inter-state tiger relocation programme at Satkosia Tiger Reserve in Angul district.
A pair of big cats (male and female) was brought to the tiger reserve last year, of whom male tiger Mahavir brought from Kanha reserve was killed due to unnatural reasons while tigress Sundari brought from Bandhavgarh tiger reserve kept at enclosure at the reserve.
As state government doesn’t take any initiative for protecting the tigress brought from Madhya Pradesh, the NTCA has decided to suspend the relocation project.
The NTCA deputy inspector general Surender Mehra has written a letter to Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy in this regard, two days ago.
“In the interest of tiger conservation, the tigress T-2 (Sundari) shall be withdrawn and brought to Ghorela centre at Kanha Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh with immediate effect for re-wilding and subsequent release to suitable habitat,” Mehra wrote to Tripathy.
The NTCA has decided to suspend the tiger translocation programme at Satkosia tiger reserve till the ground situation in the field improves as per the NTCA guidelines/advisories/protocol subsequent feasibility study by NTCA, he said.
On the basis of overall review of tiger augmentation programme, the NTCA observed that both the animals were not monitored and managed as per the standard operating procedure (SOP) and NTCA protocol. Even repeated communications from NTCA were not taken seriously by the state Forest department, the DIG said in his letter.
Expressing displeasure over the state government’s failed attempts against poaching, the NTCA said that tiger T-1 (Mahavir), which was translocated from Kanha Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh under the project, was found dead at Satkosia November 11, 2018. The preliminary investigation indicated that the tiger died due to poaching.
Even after substantial fund releases from Centre, the project has not shown any significant output.