CM Pushkar Dhami, union forest minister release translocated tigress to RTR
CM Dhami and union minister Yadav also went on a jungle safari in the Motichur range of the RTR. Uttarakhand forest minister Subodh Uniyal was also present on the occasion
A tigress, translocated from Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR), was released in Rajaji Tiger Reserve (RTR) on Saturday by chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Union cabinet minister for environment, forest & climate change Bhupender Yadav.
The tigress was the third big cat to be shifted to RTR under the Uttarakhand tiger relocation project which aims to augment the tiger population in the low-density area of Rajaji.
The tigress was translocated from the core zone of Corbett Tiger Reserve to Rajaji on May 16 and kept temporarily in an enclosure.
CM Dhami and union minister Yadav also went on a jungle safari in the Motichur range of the RTR. Uttarakhand forest minister Subodh Uniyal was also present on the occasion.
Also Read: Uttarakhand: Tigress translocated from Corbett to Rajaji Tiger Reserve
On the translocation of the tigress, CM Dhami while speaking to reporters said, “It will turn out to be a big milestone for a balance between economy and ecology, environment conservation and promotion of nature. The country is moving forward on the message of balance between economy and ecology given by prime minister Narendra Modi. On this occasion, I would like to thank Union forest minister Bhupender Yadav for being present here.”
Dhami said the union minister has assured all help and assistance during their discussion on schemes and local needs and demands with regard to forests.
“Uttarakhand has 71% forest cover of the total geographical land. Sometimes we face hurdles in obtaining land for development projects and I have requested him (union minister Yadav) for its resolve,” he said.
On increasing man-animal conflict, Dhami said it’s an issue but they were working to conserve forest areas to address the issue.
“The move is part of a long-term plan to augment the tiger population in the low-density area of Rajaji. It will boost eco-tourism and benefit local communities by generating employment besides helping in conserving biodiversity,” union minister Yadav wrote on Twitter.
The translocation process was adopted to increase the population of tigers in RTR under the Uttarakhand tiger relocation project. The Centre approved the project in 2016 and a team of National Tiger Conservation Authorities (NTCA) visited CTR and RTR to approve the project. Under this, five tigers are to be translocated from CTR to RTR of which, three big cats have been translocated.
Earlier on December 24, 2020, and January 8, 2021, a tiger and a tigress, respectively from Corbett were translocated to RTR.
Due to Covid, the translocation of the remaining tigers was suspended in 2021. Incidentally, the second translocated tigress had dropped its radio collar and went missing. Later, it was spotted in the zone.
Also Read: Maharashtra: 2 tigresses captured in Chandrapur to be relocated to Nawegaon-Nagzira
NTCA resumed the translocation process of three tigers after the CTR administration received a letter in this regard in March.
In September 2019, a team from the NTCA visited Rajaji to conduct reconnaissance for the translocation exercise and suggested a soft release of a pair of tigers on the reserve’s western side. In a soft release, tigers are released in a large enclosed area where they are kept for a few days to check if it has any diseases before it is completely released into the wild.
RTR has around 37 tigers with only two tigresses in its western part before the translocation project started.
The reserve has a carrying capacity of 83 tigers, according to a survey conducted by the state forest department.
The eastern and the western part of the reserve are divided by a busy traffic corridor making it difficult for the tigers to migrate between the two parts.
