BHUBANESWAR: Uncertainty looms over the big cat relocation project in Odisha as translocated tigress Sundari, kept at the Raigoda enclosure in Satkosia for over a year, is yet to be released into the wild.
Sundari was brought from Bandhavgarh forest in Madhya Pradesh as part of country’s first tiger relocation project last year and released into Satkosia Tiger Reserve (TR) on August 18, 2018. The Forest and Environment department released Sundari in Satkosia shortly after tiger Mahavir, who was brought from Kanha reserve forest in MP, was released into the Satkosia wild.
However, resistance from locals, residing on the fringe of Satkosia, over movement of the two tigers close to human habitations emerged as the biggest challenge in executing the big cat reintroduction programme.
Following protests, Sundari was tranquillised on November 6 and taken to Raigoda enclosure where she had been kept till August 17, 2018 after being shifted from Bandhavgarh. Subsequently, the relocation project was put on hold temporarily after Tiger Mahavir’s carcass was found on November 15, 2018.
A year has passed since but the fate of Sundari as well as the big cat relocation programme, stated to be the country’s first, remains undecided. The plan of the Wildlife Wing to expand existing enclosure of Sundari at Raigoda too is hanging fire.
Meanwhile, to create awareness among the agitating villagers on how to co-exist with wild animals, Satkosia forest officials had taken a group of 13 villagers to Pilibhit Tiger Reserve in Uttar Pradesh and Jim Corbet Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand in September this year.
On the other hand, no definite timeline has been finalised by the authorities to release Sundari and resume the translocation project under which the Government plans to bring three pairs of tigers to Satkosia from Madhya Pradesh in a phased manner.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) HS Upadhyay said efforts are on to resume the relocation programme at the earliest. An NTCA team, which had visited the State a few months back, to hold talks with officials regarding the relocation programme, has not furnished its report yet. The relocation project will resume only after submission of the report, he said.
Upadhyay also informed that a meeting of State wildlife officials and NTCA regarding the relocation programme will be held soon.