Bhopal: Amid protest, govt to go ahead with translocation of tigers

Bhopal: Amid protest, govt to go ahead with translocation of tigers

Staff ReporterUpdated: Wednesday, May 29, 2019, 07:40 AM IST
article-image

Bhopal: Undeterred by protests, the Madhya Pradesh’s forest department will continue with the translocation of tigers to Odisha’s Satkosia Tiger Reserve (STR). The state government has decided to translocate six big cats to reserve in Odisha. While a tiger pair was translocated in June, rest two will be shifted in the coming days.

Villagers in Odisha are protesting the translocation of tigers from Madhya Pradesh, however, the department officials here say that thy have nothing to do with the protests. If there were any protest, it is up to Odisha government to handle it, it is not the headache of Madhya Pradesh government, said a senior official.

In fact, STR was left with only one pair of tiger; they too have passed their average age. In the last few days, only one of the big cats was captured in cameras at the tiger reserve. Odisha government had up a proposal before the Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan about shifting of tigers from State reserves, to which the CM after series of meetings, agreed.

Additional principal chief forest conservator Alok Kumar said the department has nothing to with the protest. “It is headache of Odisha government to handle the situation is there was any protest over translocation of tigers. It is not MP government’s headache.  Our plan will not be abandoned in any circumstances. Two have been shifted and four will be shifted. We will do our job.”

Stating that, there will not be any problem for MP tigers to adjust in STR, the officer informed that genetic make-up of tigers in STR was similar to that of the big cats at Bandhavgarh and Kanha Tiger Reserves. There have been evidences of a tiger corridor between MP and Odisha, Kumar said.

RTI activist Ajay Dubey said that the villagers in Odisha were protesting the translocation of tigers. “We too have expressed our objection to the translocation of tigers from Madhya Pradesh to STR. As per the reports coming from Odisha, due to lack of elephants, proper monitoring of tigers is not possible in the reserve, we will contact National Tiger Conservation Authority’s (NTCA’s) technical committee which had approved shifting of the tigers, regarding it, said Dubey.

RECENT STORIES

MP: Kamlesh Shah, Congress MLA From Kamal Nath Home Turf Chhindwara, Joins BJP

MP: Kamlesh Shah, Congress MLA From Kamal Nath Home Turf Chhindwara, Joins BJP

Kejriwal Arrested As Union Government Wants To Weaken Opposition, Democracy, Says MP Congress Chief...

Kejriwal Arrested As Union Government Wants To Weaken Opposition, Democracy, Says MP Congress Chief...

Madhya Pradesh: CM Mohan Yadav To Participate In Decades-Old Tradition Of Rangpanchami Gair In...

Madhya Pradesh: CM Mohan Yadav To Participate In Decades-Old Tradition Of Rangpanchami Gair In...

MP Weather Update: Light Rain, Hail Storm & Strong Winds Likely In Bhopal, Ujjain & 15 More...

MP Weather Update: Light Rain, Hail Storm & Strong Winds Likely In Bhopal, Ujjain & 15 More...

MP: Youth Files Police Complaint After Transactions Of Rs 46 Crore Occur From His Bank Account In...

MP: Youth Files Police Complaint After Transactions Of Rs 46 Crore Occur From His Bank Account In...