Click to play videoNew Delhi: National Tiger Conservation Authority and Rajasthan State government have set out to bring the big cats back to the forest.
The Sariska Tiger Reserve, which lost all its tigers due to poaching, will get three tigers — two females and one male — from the Ranthambhore National Park.
And in a one-of-a-kind operation, one of the tigers will be airlifted on Saturday.
“We are sending the tigers back to where they belong,” Chief Wildlife Warden R N Mehrotra said. “Initially we will send one tiger. We’ll add two more tigers to the reserve over a span of two years.”
The preparations are on in full swing. A team of scientists from Wildlife Institute of India has been deployed at the Ranthambhore National Park.
The two female tigers have been radio collared so that they can be tracked via satellite. And at Sariska, an iron enclosure is ready to receive the tigers.
“They would be tranquilised and preferably airlifted using a chopper with all the precautions,” Director, Project Tiger, Rajesh Gopal said. “The release in Sariska is going to be a soft release in the sense that we are not going to put them directly in the wild.”
But some conservationists question whether Sariska will be safe for the tigers as the park is still easily accessible to the public.
Furthermore, the state highway, which passes through the forest, continues to be a killer road.
Tiger experts feel a long-term commitment from officials is needed to ensure the tigers’ safety.
(With inputs from Maria Shakeel and Prachi Jatania)
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