MP govt agrees in principle to shift six tigers to Odisha

The Madhya Pradesh government has given an "in principle" nod to translocate three pairs of tigers to Odisha's Satkosia Tiger Reserve, a top officer said today.
The six tigers are likely to be translocated by March-end, as the All India Tiger Estimation (AITE) 2018 is currently underway in Madhya Pradesh.
According to the officer, the in-principle approval came after Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan agreed to the Odisha government's request for translocation of the big cats.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF), Wild Life, Jitendra Agrawal said the Satkosia Tiger Reserve (STR) is currently left with only one pair of tigers, who have passed their average age.

In the last few days, only one of the big cats was captured in cameras in the STR, he said.
Acting on a letter written by the Odisha government, the National Tiger Conservation Authority's (NTCA's) technical committee in a recent meeting approved shifting of the tigers.

Later, the MP government also decided to allow the translocation, which would help in increasing the number of striped cats in the STR.
Agrawal said the genetic make-up of tigers in STR was similar to that of the big cats of the Bandhavgarh and Kanha Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh.
There has been evidences of a tiger corridor between Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, he said.

"It is expected that the tigers of Madhya Pradesh would easily adopt new climate of Odisha," he said.
Agrawal furher said that before the translocation, the officials and employees would be trained in the tiger release protocol.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF), Wild Life of Odisha, Sambit Tripathi had also visited Madhya Pradesh recently in this connection.