Royal Bengal tigress released in Satkosia Wildlife Sanctuary

A two-year-old Royal Bengal tigress from Madhya Pradesh was released into wild in Satkosia Wildlife Sanctuary in Odisha's Angul district, a top Forest official said today.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) Sandeep Tripathy said the tigress was released yesterday in the wildlife sanctuary.

The tigress was was brought to Satkosia from Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh on June 28 and was kept under observation in a special enclosure at Satkosia Tiger Reserve.

Earlier, a three-year-old Royal Bengal Tiger was relocated from Madhya Pradeshs Kanha National Park and released in the Satkosia Tiger Reserve on July 7.

"An expert team of Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has been monitoring movement of the big cats round-the-clock in the forest," Tripathy said.

The two RBTs, one male and another female, were translocated as a part of inter-state re-introduction of tigers, as per the the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) guidelines.

The Odisha government has planned to bring six tigers from Madhya Pradesh and release them into the Satakosia tiger reserve to increase the big cat population.