Relocated tiger flees from Rajaji Tiger Reserve
A tiger translocated recently to the Rajaji Tiger Reserve has fled from its Motichoor range creating panic among people living in the periphery of the forest area. The five-year-old male tiger dropped its radio-collar in the enclosure meant for it and fled somewhere, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Rajiv Bhartari said. The tiger was translocated from the Dhela range of Corbett Tiger Reserve.
Why was the tiger relocated?
"This is the mating season for tigers and the translocation had been done in the hope of strengthening the tiger population at Rajaji Tiger Reserve, especially in the western part," officials said.
Fleeing of tiger a jolt to the tiger relocation project
Bhartari admitted that the fleeing of the tiger was a jolt to the tiger relocation project of the Uttarakhand government. In the present circumstances it has become difficult to keep track of the movement of the big cat, he asserted. However, as the radio collar had been dropped in the enclosure, forest guards remained under the illusion that the tiger was still there.
Probe into who radio-collared the tiger will take place
"The situation is being reviewed in accordance with the guidelines of the National Tiger Conservation Authority to deal with the challenge and ensure that an incident like this does not occur in the future," Bhartari said. "It will also be probed who radio-collared the tiger after tranquilizing it for relocation," he added. However, all efforts at the moment are focused on tracing the tiger.
Similar incidents have occurred in the past
Director of Wildlife Institute of India, Dhananjay Mohan, said, "Such incidents have also occurred in the past. There can be many factors behind it." "There are other ways to monitor the movement of the tiger which will be utilized to track him," he added. The Wildlife Institute of India is a partner in the ongoing tiger relocation project of Uttarakhand.
