Five more tigers to give Jamuna company in Similipal

BHUBANESWAR/BARIPADA: As tigress Jamuna is being conditioned in a special enclosure for smooth release and integration in the Similipal Tiger Reserve, the state Forest department has begun working on bringing in five more big cats to the wildlife habitat.

Officials said, the process for translocation of another tigress from Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Maharashtra has already started. The wildlife wing of the department has prepared a detailed project report (DPR) to supplement the protected area with a total six tigers in phases, they said.

“After relocation of the two female tigers, we will proceed with the plan of relocating the remaining four tigers. Determination of sex ratio and landscape for relocation of these tigers depends on the success of the ongoing translocation project,” said a top official of the wildlife wing.

He said the ongoing study on genetic compatibility among tigers in Similipal and Central India landscape by the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) will help the forest department in this regard.