The male wild Royal Bengal Tiger that returned to the tiger safari of the Nandan Kanan Biological Park a few days back, would be kept in temporary confinement in a small enclosure for two months till a final decision is taken by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) whether to release the big cat in the wild.
The three-member NTCA team, which came here at the request of the State Government to take a final decision on the fate of the wild tiger, visited the Satakosia Tiger Reserve and Mahanadi Wildlife Division to identify a suitable habitat for the Royal Bengal Tiger.
However, the team was indecisive on the question whether to release the animal in the wild or house it in the Nandan Kanan zoo.
The team discussed with Forest and Environment Minister Bijayshree Routray the whole range of issues relating to the tiger and the possibility of releasing it in its natural habitat.
Routray told reporters that the NTCA team advised shifting of the tiger, now in confinement in the tiger safari, to a small enclosure for another two months through tranquliser process. A radio collar would be put around its neck to track its movement during the time, which would help them take a final decision on the animal’s fate, he said.
The tiger, aged around three years, had jumped into the Nandan Kanan zoo on April 29 and then escaped from the special enclosure on May 31 night after scaling the 18-feet wire fencing.
But it reentered into the tiger safari on June 23 on its own, ostensibly to get a partner for mating.
Routray said that for undertaking tranquisliser, the NTCA authorities would send an expert from the National Wildlife Institute for the job.
He said that since radio collar is not available in India, the NTCA would procure it from the USA or Germany within a month at a cost of around Rs 2.50 lakh.
The Minister too informed that the NTCA members also advised the forest authorities to conduct a survey in the Tiger Reserves and national sanctuaries including Similipal, Karlapat and Satakosia to give details of prey density, density of tree cover and population density of the sanctuary areas. This data along with the tracking information of the movement of the wild tiger would help the NTCA take a final call on the animal’s fate.
Since the reentry of the five-feet-long Royal Bengal Tiger, the white tiger safari of Nandankanan has been closed for visitors on security reasons.