NTCA unlikely to stop inter-state tiger translocation project:

The inter-state tiger translocation project in Odisha is likely to continue despite the death of a translocated tiger at Satkosia Tiger Reserve, a senior Forest department official said Saturday.

"The project will continue after detail discussion with the state department, Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)," the officer said quoting the expert team of the NTCA and Wildlife Institute of India (WII).

Earlier on Thursday, the NTCA had put the inter-state tiger translocation project on hold a day after the body of three year old male tiger was recovered at Satkosia Tiger Reserve area in Angul district. Under the project, six tigers were supposed to be brought to Odisha from Madhya Pradesh.

 

A statement released by the field director of Satkosia Tiger Reserve (STR) said that the post mortem report of the tiger indicated that the death occurred due to infected antemortem maggoted wound followed by multi organ failure.

NTCA IG, Amit Mallick, who visited the site of tiger's death, said "The exact cause of the death is yet to be determined. We will analyse the cause of the death on the basis of the post-mortem report."

Mallick later met the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF), Wildlife, Sandip Tripathy at his office chamber.

K Ramesh, an expert of the WII, who had also gone with the NTCA team to Satkosia for investigation, said the post-mortem of the tiger has been done in accordance with the NTCA protocol.

"It was a very unfortunate incident, the WII will seriously review the safety of the tigers in the coming days. Following the death of the Royal Bengal tiger Mahavir, whose carcass was found on November 14," Ramesh said.

"Poaching effort of tiger did not seem to be the case. But, we need to study the postmortem clearly and will also look into internal investigation," Ramesh told PTI.

The translocated tiger that died on Wednesday, was brought from the Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh on June 20 and kept inside the enclosure at Raigoda on June 21. After observing his behaviour, the forest officials had released him in the wild of Satkosia on July 6.