Why in news:

• The National Tiger Conservation Authority’s (NTCA) technical committee has approved Rajasthan’s proposal to shift tigers to Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve.
• The reserve lost two tigers and two cubs in 2020 and is left with an eight-year-old tigress.

Key Points:

• As per the reserve’s field director, the National Tiger Conservation Authority’s technical committee has conveyed its approval to shift tigers to the reserve but they are yet to receive a formal communication.
• The move came after a committee constituted by NTCA inspected the reserve last year, and gave recommendations to be followed to strengthen the habitat for the big cats.
• According to the senior forest officials associated with the development, the NTCA has recommended steps such as increasing the prey base, making the reserve disturbance-free with village relocation, and other steps. The prey base has increased and the village relocation is being done.
• The recommendations of the committee are being implemented – around 500 chitals are being brought from Ghana Bird Sanctuary to increase prey base; relocation of the village is under process and additional security measures are being taken.
• Officials at Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve had proposed shifting of male and female tigers; and releasing the reserve’s lone tigress, MT-4 from the enclosure.
• Ow, NTCA has advised that the tigers be released on the Seljar range of the reserve, instead of Darrah range. A major factor taken into consideration was that Seljar range is on the northern side of the reserve and has a better prey base.
• Meanwhile, the officials are continuing search for the missing tigers, who had gone missing a little over a month ago from the Sariska Tiger Reserve (STR) in Alwar district of Rajasthan.
• The reserve was recently in the news as three leopards were poached outside the buffer area of Sariska Tiger Reserve. The carcasses were recovered on January 16, just 3 km away from the STR, which in 2005 lost all its tigers to poaching.
• Currently, the Sariska Tiger Reserve has 25 big cats.

By: A D Singh