Mandla, Jun 24 (PTI) In Madhya Pradesh’s renowned Kanha Tiger Reserve, an 8-acre enclosure with 18-foot high fencing and another one spread over 50 square metres are the sites of concerted efforts to “re-wild” four orphaned big cats, including two cubs, so that they possess the skills needed to survive the wild into which they will eventually be set free.
While the 8-acre enclosure has two tigers, in the 20-30 month age group, chasing cheetals and spotted deer as part of there learning to adapt to life in the wild, the smaller enclosure is home to two cubs in the 3-4 month age group getting trained in far more basic skills, including chomping on mashed meat.
“Once these cubs are one-year-old, they will be placed in a carnivore-proof boma (enclosure) to hunt cheetals in the Ghorela beat of the reserve’s Mukhi area. After a year in this boma, where actual training (to hunt) takes place, they will be released in the wild,” Field Director SK Singh told PTI.
The area where the enclosure for the two bigger tigers has been set up is spread over 35 hectares and is home to several cheetals, he said, adding there are three enclosures in total here.
“This training centre was opened in 2005 and since then we have re-wilded a record 14 tigers. Before this training centre came up, orphaned big cats, like the four here who have been brought from different parts of the state, would have ended up in zoos,” Singh pointed out.
Cubs below the age of three months are given milk, eggs and mashed meat, while the diet comprises raw meat, primarily chicken after they turn three months old, he said.
“On crossing five months, they prey on roosters and after 8-9 months, these tigers will hunt goats that are released in the enclosure as part of the training. After one year, cubs are put in the carnivore-proof enclosure for hunting,” he said.
If a tiger kills a cheetal in four to five days, the progress in training will be deemed satisfactory since a big cat needs 10-12 kilograms of meat in its diet everyday, Singh informed.
“We monitor the training through CCTVs. Before they are released, we ensure the tigers have picked up hunting skills and also the art of avoiding humans,” he said. PTI LAL BNM
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