The Union Environment Ministry has approved the capture of eight tigers from the Tadoba-Andhari and Pench reserves for their translocation to the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve in western Maharashtra, a move aimed at reviving the big cat’s population in the northern Western Ghats.
The ministry’s Wildlife Division on Thursday gave the green light to the Maharashtra Chief Wildlife Warden for capturing tigers, subject to certain conditions.
Key among these conditions are a provision of adequate veterinary care at all stages of capture and translocation, and care to prevent post-capture complications. The Wildlife Division also told Maharashtra officials to ensure minimal trauma to tigers during the operation.
The ministry’s approval is learnt to have come after the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), which is working with the Sahyadri reserve’s field staff, gave a positive appraisal of the preparations to host translocated tigers.
Initially, two tigresses will be translocated from the Tadoba Tiger Reserve, said Tushar Chavan, the field director of the Sahyadri reserve.
“The tiger reserve is ready. We have ample prey, and the tigers recorded in recent times have been hunting the available prey. The initial translocation of the two tigresses should happen by December,” said Chavan.
He said the prey base is healthy but will be regularly augmented. The translocated tigers will first be put in a temporary enclosure — known as a soft release — before being released into the wild.
Studies carried out by WII and state forest department have shown that the Sahyadri reserve can be home to over 20 tigers.
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The technical committee of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) had recommended approval for the translocation project in October 2023.
The translocation is part of the second phase of the long-term tiger recovery plan being implemented in the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve. In the initial stage, the state forest department and WII worked to strengthen the forest habitat and prey base.
The Sahyadri Tiger Reserve, named after the Sahyadri range in the Western Ghats, is spread over 1,165 sq km, straddling Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara and Ratnagiri districts. It was notified in 2010, combining the Chandoli National Park and Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary area.
But despite its rich forest vegetation, breeding tigers have never colonised the reserve. Field staff have recorded a largely transient tiger population, which disperses in forests around the reserve.
In the recent past, however, three male tigers have been frequently recorded on camera traps, said Chavan and senior WII scientist K Ramesh. “There are three male tigers seen regularly and we can say that one is primarily living within the STR’s boundaries, preying on sambar and gaur,” said Ramesh.
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He said tigers could also be brought from the Pench Tiger Reserve, which has a similar undulating terrain.
V Clement Ben, the Central Zoo Authority’s member secretary and a former director of STR, said the revival of tigers in Sahyadri Tiger Reserve is also crucial to protect the dense forests and watershed of rivers. “It will also help maintain connectivity of tiger habitats between northern Western Ghats and the tiger forests to the south in Goa and Karnataka,” he said.
As per the NTCA’s management effectiveness evaluation of tiger reserves, the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve forms the catchment for Koyna and Warna rivers, which are crucial for livelihoods in neighbouring districts.
