Maharashtra To Translocate Tigers To Sahyadri Reserve

MAHARASHTRA forest department is gearing up for translocation of a few tigers from the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Chandrapur to Sahyadri, the lone tiger reserve in the state’s western...

Ruby Thakur
May 8, 2024
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MAHARASHTRA forest department is gearing up for translocation of a few tigers from the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Chandrapur to Sahyadri, the lone tiger reserve in the state’s western region. Sahyadri Tiger Reserve is one of only five tiger reserves in country — Kaval in Telangana, Kamlang in Arunachal Pradesh,Dampa in Mizoram and Satkosia in Odisha being the other four with zero tigers within the reserve and the translocation is part of a long-term plan to revive the population of the big cats in the northern Western Ghats forests.

Maharashtra To Translocate Tigers To Sahyadri Reserve

Why In News

MAHARASHTRA forest department is gearing up for translocation of a few tigers from the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Chandrapur to Sahyadri, the lone tiger reserve in the state’s western region.

Sahyadri Tiger Reserve is one of only five tiger reserves in country — Kaval in Telangana, Kamlang in Arunachal Pradesh,Dampa in Mizoram and Satkosia in Odisha being the other four with zero tigers within the reserve and the translocation is part of a long-term plan to revive the population of the big cats in the northern Western Ghats forests.

Why Is Maharashtra Planning To Translocate Tigers To STR

STR, located in northern Western Ghats, was established in January 2010 and straddles Kolhapur, Satara, Sangli, and Ratnagiri districts in western Maharashtra. It comprises Chandoli National Park and Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary.
The tiger population in the region has been historically low due to poaching, poor prey base, and changing habitat. Even after the STR was notified, the number of tigers did not increase as breeding tigers did not colonise the reserve.

Photo evidence of tiger presence within the boundaries of STR has been few and pugmark evidence has shown the presence of seven to eight tigers from time to time.
One way the population can increase is through the inflow of tigers from the forests, located towards the south of STR, in Goa and Karnataka, especially with the strengthening of the wildlife corridor. However, the spike in tiger numbers can take years this year.

Tiger translocation projects have been undertaken in India since 2008. Sariska Tiger Reserve, in 2008, and Panna Tiger Reserve, in 2009, have witnessed successful tiger reintroduction and translocation projects.
There have also been failures and shelving of reintroduction plans, like in the case of Satkosia Tiger Reserve in Odisha, which was the country’s first inter-state translocation project.

What Is Importance Of Sahyadri Konkan Corridor

Sahyadri-Konkan corridor or the Sahyadri-Radhanagari-Goa-Karnataka corridor is crucial for the long-term survival of tiger populations in northern Western Ghats.
This corridor connects the source population area in Kali Tiger Reserve in Karnataka to the forests in Goa’s hinterland, which in turn provides tigers connectivity to Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary, conservation reserves in Sindhudurg district and STR.

The high occurrence of human-dominated settlements and development activities fragments this corridor at several locations, posing a threat to tiger movement and raising the chances of man-animal conflict.
With authorities planning the translocation of tigers to Sahyadri, strengthening this corridor is crucial. Without those efforts, even a breeding population of tigers would face difficulties in dispersing to other forests.
Nirmal Kulkarni, director of the Mhadei Research Centre in Chorla Ghats, Karnataka, said that tigers from Kali Tiger Reserve disperse regularly towards Goa where the prey base is comparatively low.
Goa’s protected areas now have seven to eight tigers. However, the state’s forest department has resisted demands to declare a tiger reserve.

About Sahyadri Tiger Reserve:

It is located in Sahyadri Rangesof the Western Ghats in It was notified by amalgamating the Chandoli National Park and Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary.
It includes the area around the Koyna Dam, the Warna River, and many other small rivers and streams originating from the Western Ghats and flowing to the east.

It is undulating with steep escarpments along western boundary.
The most distinct feature of the Tiger Reserve is the presence of numerous barren rocky and lateritic plateaus, locally called “Sadas”, with less perennial vegetation and over hanging cliffs on the edges along with numerous fallen boulders with dense thorny bushes.
Sahyadri Tiger Reserve is the only place where climax and near-climax vegetations are plentiful and prospects of adverse anthropogenic influence in the future are minimal.

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Ruby Thakur

General Studies Lecturer SSBCrackExams, BSc In PCM, Trained Students For State Services Exams. Expertise in Geography ,Polity & Current Affairs. Love Travelling.