Ranchi, Mar 7 (PTI) The Jharkhand forest department is expecting NTCA nod this month to its proposal of relocating three tigers, 50 bison and 50 sambar deer from Madhya Pradesh to Palamau Tiger Reserve and planning to start the process after the summer season, an official said on Saturday.
The relocation aims to augment the population of tigers and bison, which were once abundant in the reserve forest in Latehar district, he said.
“The state forest department expects to receive approval for its relocation proposal from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) this month,” PTR Deputy Director Prajesh Jena told PTI.
The PTR authority has also submitted a proposal for signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Madhya Pradesh government for relocation of the wild animals, which will be finalised soon after receiving the NTCA nod, he said.
“Once the NTCA approves our proposal, an MoU with the Madhya Pradesh government will be finalised. We expect the green signal to our proposal this month after the NTCA technical committee meeting,” Jena told PTI.
He said the authorities have proposed bringing two tigresses and one tiger from Madhya Pradesh’s forest reserves to augment the big cat population in PTR.
“According to the previous tiger estimation report, Madhya Pradesh had 785 big cats, and this time the number may cross 1,000 across nine reserves there,” he said.
According to the 2023 All India Tiger Estimation (AITE) report, the Palamau Tiger Reserve had only one tiger. However, the PTR authority claimed that there is evidence of the presence of three to four big cats.
“We only have male tigers here. So, we have decided to bring two tigresses and one tiger to increase the big cat population in the reserve,” Jena said.
Established in 1974 under Project Tiger, the 1,129-sq-km Palamau Tiger Reserve was once considered a habitat for a thriving population of big cats – 22 in 1972 and a peak of 71 in 1995, according to Jharkhand’s former principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) Pradeep Kumar’s 2016 book ‘Main Baagh Hoon’.
The big cat population declined to 44 in 1997, 34 in 2002, 10 in 2010, and 3 in 2014, according to the book.
The 2018 AITE report mentioned five tigers in Jharkhand, but none in PTR.
Former state wildlife board member DS Srivastava said human interference and reduced prey base were the major hurdles to tiger population growth in the reserve forest.
Jena said bison and sambar deer would be brought in phases over two years from Madhya Pradesh, which has over 2,500 bison.
“We will begin relocating tigers and bison from Madhya Pradesh after the peak summer season. An enclosure is being set up in the reserve forest so that the animals brought from another state can acclimatise to Jharkhand’s climate. Afterwards, they will be released into the forest,” he added.
According to a recent survey in PTR, the reserve area has 68 bison, including 10 calves aged between 1.5 and 4 years. Most of them are currently concentrated in the Chhipadohar and Betla areas.
In 1974, the bison population in the reserve area was estimated to be around 150, another official said.
Quoting the survey report, he said the bison population has declined in an area of 226 square kilometres, posing a threat to their conservation.
The reproduction capacity in bison has also reduced, he added.
Srivastava said poaching, infection and habitat disturbance by local cattle have been the major reasons for the declining bison population in Jharkhand. PTI SAN BDC
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