Sloth Bears to be introduced in Rajasthan's Sariska Tiger reserve

Having achieved success in reviving the population of big cats, the authorities at Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan are now working to further enhance the biodiversity of the park by introducing sloth bears.

In the next few days, the national park will welcome two pairs of sloth bears being brought from the Sundha Mata forest area of Jalore district.

"We have received permission to shift two pairs of sloth bears to Sariksa.Teams have been formed for the relocation of sloth bears which will be done in the next few days," Roop Narayan Meena, Field Director, Sariska Tiger Reserve, told PTI.

He said sloth bears are mainly found in Sundha Mata area in Jalore besides Mount Abu.

"The sloth bears are being shifted to Sariska to enhance the biodiversity of the park," he said.

Meena said measures for the monitoring and protection of the animal will be ensured.

Sloth Bear is a key species of the hills and mountains of the semi-arid region of western India. It is listed in the 'vulnerable' category by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Sariska is known for the success of its tiger relocation programme. After all tigers in Sariska vanished in 2005, a tiger relocation programme was introduced in 2008 under which two big cats were initially translocated from the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve.

The population of tigers since then has revived and with the recent sighting of two cubs, the number of big cats has increased to 27. This includes 13 females, eight male and six cubs.

Located in Alwar district of Rajasthan at a distance of 60 km from the national capital, Sariska is spread over 1213.34 sq km in Aravalli hills, the world's oldest mountain ranges.

The Reserve has a blend of tropical dry deciduous and tropical thorn forest and is dotted with numerous narrow valleys.

Apart from tigers, Sariska has a large number of leopard population. It is also home to numerous striped hyena, jackal, jungle cat, desert cat, rusty-spotted cat, fox, ratel, palm civet, common Indian civet, ruddy tailed mongoose, grey mongoose, common mongoose and herbivores, including Sambar, chital, wild boar, porcupines and langurs.

Sariska is also well known for its large population of rhesus monkeys.