2 year old Royal Bengal Tigress reaches Odisha

A two-year-old Royal Bengal tigress from Madhya Pradesh reached the Satkosia Tiger Reserve in Odisha's in Angul district today, official sources said.

The tigress called 'Sundri' was relocated to Satkosia from Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh as part of the Odisha government's initiative to revive the big cat population in the state, an official said.

'Sundri' is set to join a three-year-old tiger in Odisha's Satkosia Sanctuary.

The tiger, too, was moved to the Satkosia enclosure from Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh on June 21, and it is now in a special enclosure at the tiger reserve.

According to forest officials, the tigress was tranquilised and brought to Odisha in a special vehicle.

Forest officials of Odisha and Madhya Pradesh along with experts from Wildlife Institute of India (WII) accompanied the tigress during the 700-km journey, they said.

"The tigress, weighing 134 kg, has been brought to Odisha from Madhya Pradesh. She is in good health. The tigress will be kept in a special enclosure, next to the tiger's enclosure, at Satkosia," the Forest and Environment Secretary S C Mohapatra, said.

The big cats will be released into the wild after consultation with wildlife experts, he said, adding four more tigers from different tiger reserves of Madhya Pradesh will be relocated to Odisha.

The Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) and Field Director of Satkosia Tiger Reserve, Sudarshan Panda, said, the other tigers would be translocated to Satkosia reserve in phases.

According to the 2016 tiger census, Odisha has 40 Royal Bengal Tigers - 13 males, 24 females and three cubs.

Now, with the arrival of two Royal Bengal Tigers, the tiger population in the state has increased to 42.

Panda said a special enclosure has been readied at Satkosia keeping the needs of the tigress in mind.

"The arrangements inside the special enclosure for the tigress would be similar to the ones made for the tiger. It would be fitted with a GPS and a satellite tracker to monitor movements inside the enclosure," he said, adding, the big cats would be released into the wild, once they get accustomed to the environment of the Satkosia Tiger Reserve.