ANGUL: Efforts are underway on a war-footing to address the shortcomings pointed out by National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) which led to failure of the tiger reintroduction project at Satkosia.
Officials of Satkosia Tiger Reserve (TR) have drawn up a road map to meet the requirements of NTCA by 2024. After completion of necessary measures, Satkosia authorities would request NTCA through the state government to initiate a tiger reintroduction project afresh.
Divisional forest officer of Satkosia wildlife division Saroj Panda said while suspending the tiger project, NTCA had pointed out three shortcomings - lack of community participation and prey base besides location of villages from core areas. After getting the report from NTCA, Satkosia authorities had chalked out a plan to fulfil the conditions.
“We have been holding regular coordination meetings with villagers located in Satkosia region. Villagers are also being engaged in various works for the tiger project. Besides, we are developing the prey base in the tiger reserve by establishing meadows, grasslands and carrying out other similar activities. We have put more focus on relocation of villages. Four villages have been almost relocated from the core area. The process to relocate another village is underway,” Panda informed. If these conditions are met, decks will be cleared for revival of the tiger reintroduction project in Satkosia, he added.
Notified as a TR in 2007, Satkosia with an area of 963.8 sq km boasted of a dozen tigers and strong prey base before poor protection led to a crash of the big cat numbers. Over the next decade, the tiger head count dropped to one.
In 2018, a pair of big cats Sundari and Mahavir was brought from Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh under the ambitious inter-state tiger reintroduction programme. However the project was suspended as Mahavir died and Sundari left for Kanha after spending 28 months in Satkosia’s Raigoda enclosure.