Mumbai: In a landmark wildlife management move, eight tigers will be relocated from Tadoba-Andhari and Pench reserves in Vidarbha to the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve in the Western Ghats. The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests approved the plan on Thursday to reduce territorial conflicts in Vidarbha and restore Sahyadri as a thriving tiger habitat.
Overcrowding in Vidarbha Reserves
Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve alone shelters 95 tigers, while Chandrapur district has another 250. The high density has triggered frequent territorial battles, some fatal. Just last week, one tiger died and another suffered serious injuries after a clash.
Rising human-tiger encounters have added to the pressure. Relocating five female and three male tigers aims to ease this strain.
Reviving Sahyadri’s Tiger Population
Sahyadri, spanning the Konkan and Satara regions, currently hosts only three resident tigers and nine occasional visitors from Karnataka and Goa. Breeding success has remained poor, raising alarm among conservationists.
A 2022 presentation to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), prepared by IFS officer Clement Ben, flagged this concern. The new relocation plan follows that recommendation.
Additional Chief Secretary (Forests) Milind Mhaiskar called the decision “long-awaited and welcome.” He stressed that it balances conservation needs with reducing man-animal conflict.
Experts Split Over Relocation Strategy
Conservationist Suresh Chopane of Green Planet, a Chandrapur NGO, supports the plan. He noted Vidarbha’s tiger density leads to nearly two deaths from territorial fights every year.
However, tiger expert Dr. Anish Andheria of the Wildlife Conservation Trust raised doubts. He warned Sahyadri’s topography, rainfall, prey density, and community attitudes differ sharply from Vidarbha. With limited prey, relocated tigers may hunt cattle, sparking conflict.
He further pointed out that Sahyadri’s strip-like geography could make it easier for tigers to stray into villages. Instead, Andheria suggested relocating females from southern Maharashtra, where ecological conditions better match Sahyadri.
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