Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A tigress was rescued from Pench Tiger Reserve and translocated to Rajasthan’s Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve on Sunday evening. Indian Air Force’s M17 helicopter was used to airlift the tigress, marking the first interstate translocation of a big cat from Madhya Pradesh.
The tigress is three years old. A senior forest officer of Pench Tiger Reserve said Rajasthan had requested three tigresses from MP and two from Maharashtra due to inbreeding problems among its felines. The translocation is expected to improve gene pool and safeguard tiger population.
The Pench team had tracked the tigress for almost a month. At one point, its radio collar had fallen off, leaving forest officers uncertain of its location. The tigress was tranquillised and checked by veterinary doctors before being airlifted. The M17 helicopter made a brief stop at Raja Bhoj airport for refuelling under guidance of wildlife experts.
High-tech tracking
To track the tigress, 50 cameras were placed in Pench Tiger Reserve, including motion-sensor cameras. Rajasthan’s Chief Conservator of Forest, SugnaramJat, coordinated the operation for over a month and spent eight days in Pench monitoring the campaign. The translocation was supervised by Pench Deputy Director Rajnesh Kumar Singh, and Assistant Director Gurleen Kaur travelled to Rajasthan in the M17 chopper to ensure the mission went as planned.
Bigger mission
L Krishnamurthy, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Wildlife, said a total of 11 tigers and tigresses are to be relocated to three states, including Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha. The Pench-to-Rajasthan tigress translocation is the first of these operations.
