Sariska may gets its tigers back

http://www.thehindu.com/2008/05/08/stories/2008050857470100.htm

JAIPUR: The much-maligned Sariska Tiger Reserve in Alwar district of Rajasthan is going to get back its flagship species soon. Four years after the disappearance of its famous tigers, the reserve is getting ready now for re-introduction of the animal.

Much deliberations and some ground level action, including shifting of at least one of the forest villages inside the reserve and improvement in the habitat, have gone into the preparations for the pioneering act, which would have few parallels in the world’s conservation history.

It is now official that three tigers from Ranthambhore National Park, the other tiger reserve in Rajasthan, would be shifted to Sariska. There is no green corridor between the two reserves, located at a distance of less than 200 km. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had visited the Ranthambhore Park, situated in Sawai Madhopur district, in the wake of widespread alarm over the tiger crisis. The Ranthambhore Park presently has a tiger population of 40 to 45, including the cubs.

The final countdown for the shifting of the tigers started this week with experts from the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehra Dun, led by its director P. R. Sinha, arriving in Sariska to inspect the preparations. Simultaneously the Chief Wildlife Warden of Rajasthan, R. N. Mehrotra, and member of the Rajasthan Government’s Empowered Committee on Forests and Wildlife, Rajpal Singh, reached Ranthambhore on Wednesday to identify the felines for the experiment.

“In the first stage, the programme is to shift three tigers. We are planning it in a phased manner and the first one to be shifted would be kept in a small enclosure for some days before its release to a bigger enclosed area now getting ready at Karna Ka Bas,” Rajpal Singh told this correspondent before leaving for Ranthambhore.

The first feline to be shifted is a female. The next would be a male tiger, and the third, again, a female.

“We will go for female tigers who had given birth at least once. As for the males, the look-out would be to identify one without any demarcated territory,” said Mr. Singh, explaining, “Tigresses with at least one litter because of their proven mothering skills. The male without any territory is preferred as it would be in a better position to adjust in the new environment.”

“It is a bold experiment and an unprecedented step in the annals of conservation. However, I would have preferred the choice of one of the sexes from some other tiger reserve such as Corbett or Kanha,” said V. D. Sharma, author and retired Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Rajasthan), adding, “With this kind of cross-breeding of the gene pool, the tiger fiasco in Sariska would have proved a blessing for conservation in the long run.”

“Our real work begins once the animals are brought here. The construction of the enclosure at Karna Ka Bas would start soon. The choice of the location is deliberate as the area has a water source,” said Sariska Field Director P. S. Somashekar.

Differences over details notwithstanding, the wildlife lovers are enthusiastic about the move. However, contrary to reports appearing in a section of the media, the tigers would not be transported by air in cages hooked on to a helicopter. “If they are to be airlifted, the animals will be inside the choppers. There is also the option of moving them by road,” said Mr. Singh.

By air or by road, the ground reality is that the felines would be there in Sariska, probably soon after the first monsoon showers.

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