Odisha's Satkosia to welcome 14 tigers from Maharashtra’s Tadoba Tiger Reserve

The Satkosia Tiger Reserve (STR) in Odisha’s Angul may get new guests as the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has given the nod for big cats’ relocation project from Maharashtra’s Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR).

In a bid to revive the big cat population in Odisha, the NTCA has reportedly given a nod for the interstate tiger translocation project. Following the green signal from NTCA, the Satkosia forest department has made a 5-year plan in which 14 tigers will be translocated in a phased manner.

If everything goes well, all the 14 big cats will be translocated to Satkosia in five years. This time, the tigers will be brought from Maharashtra as the big cats there are genetically related to Odisha tigers, informed PCCF Susanta Nanda.

However, the NTCA has also laid down conditions for the relocation project. PCCF said that the forest department will begin the tiger project as soon as all the conditions are met.

“Detailed discussions will be held with local residents and public representatives. All settlements have been evacuated from the core area. 6 villages have been vacated from the buffer area and some villages will be vacated,” he added.

Earlier, Mahavir, a tiger, was translocated from Kanha Tiger Reserve as part of the re-introduction project in June 2018. But, Mahavir was found dead a few months after on November 14, 2018.

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Later, tigress Sundari was brought from the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in MP in 2018. However, it had to be sent back as the country’s first experiment of interstate relocation of tigers failed.