BHUBANESWAR: The second female tiger from Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Maharashtra was brought to Odisha on Thursday as part of the ongoing big cat supplementation programme in Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR).
A 10-member team from STR brought the tigress, aged around three years, after a struggle of more than one week. It was captured on Wednesday evening and shifted in a special vehicle to STR. After reaching Similipal, the tigress has been kept under observation for 12 hours and is likely to be soft-released into an enclosure on Friday.
The first female tiger Jamuna, brought in October, was conditioned in an enclosure in south Similipal and released in the core area of STR south division. Sources said the second female tiger will be kept in an enclosure in north Similipal and released in the core area of STR north.
Like Jamuna, the second tigress has also been radio-collared before being shifted to STR and will be kept in the soft-enclosure for about one to two weeks before being released into the wild, said a forest official. The Forest department has prepared a detailed project report (DPR) to bring six tigers from Central India landscape to supplement the big cat population in STR which now has around 27 tigers and 12 cubs.
After relocation of the second tigress, the STR authorities will proceed with their plan of approaching the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) for translocation of the remaining four tigers under the big cat supplementation project intended at infusing new bloodline and bringing genetic diversity to Similipal’s existing tiger population.