The process to translocate three pairs of tigers from Madhya Pradesh to Odisha began today with a tiger from Kanha Tiger Reserve (KTR) being shifted to the eastern state, an official said.
The translocation is carried out under a project to shift three pairs of tigers from the state to the Satkosia Tiger Reserve (STR) in Odisha.
This is for the first time in the country when big cats are being shifted from one state to another, according to KTR field director Sanjay Shukla.
"Under the guidance of the doctors of KTR and Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR), a tiger was tranquilised in Mukki area of KTR. The wild cat started its journey for Odisha's STR at around 3 pm today under the observation of doctors," he said.
Shukla said the 500 km journey from Mukki to STR would be completed in the next 72 hours.
Madhya Pradesh Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Shahbaz Ahmed said, "A team of forest officials from Odisha is accompanying the tiger to STR".
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He said the number of tigers in STR are expected to increase after the male tiger was shifted there.
The Madhya Pradesh government had agreed to translocate three pairs of tigers to STR in February this year. The approval came after Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan accepted the Odisha government's request to this effect.
Acting on a letter written by the Odisha government, the National Tiger Conservation Authority's (NTCA's) technical committee had approved shifting of tigers.
Later, the MP government also decided to allow translocation which would help in increasing the number of striped cats in the STR.
A forest official said the genetic make-up of tigers in STR was similar to that of big cats of the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve and KTR in Madhya Pradesh.
Evidences suggest existence a tiger corridor between Madhya Pradesh and Odisha and it is expected that tigers would easily adopt new climate in Odisha, the official said.
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