ONGOLE: Forest Department officials have stepped up plans to resume the proposed tiger enclosure project in the Nallamala–Nagarjunasagar–Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR) to care for injured, abandoned or orphaned tiger cubs.
Officials said the project, proposed two years ago, had stalled after initial work but will now restart with an estimated cost of Rs 80 lakh.
Forest officials visited tiger enclosures at Kanha and Bandhavgarh in Madhya Pradesh to study facilities required for proper care of cubs and young tigers. They identified about 15 hectares of forest land at Peddapenta locality in the Pedda Mantanala beat of Korraprolu range for the project.
A Forest Department official said, “The proposed ‘Tiger Enclosure’ works will be completed in the next two months. First, we will introduce injured cubs and young tigers into a 400-square-metre nursery enclosure and provide necessary nourishment and care. After a period of recovery, we will shift them to the 15-hectare enclosure. Once they regain health and strength, we will release them into the wild based on their condition.”