Will tigers be re-introduced in Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR) which is struggling for its status and past glory in the want of any trace of the big cat since long, barring an unconfirmed citing of a ‘touring’ animal reported in April this year?
Since PTR is fearing to enter into the league of once famous tiger adobes of the country such as Paana and Sariska, the management is toiling hard to make sure that regeneration can return in future.
AK Mishra, Deputy Director North division of PTR said, “There is no cub here in PTR over the last ten years or so. This is a matter of serious concern. Male tiger comes here and walks away. Mating and delivery is just a big miss here. PTR needs copulation and birth of cubs.”
Panna and Sariska had to face similar situation where cubs were invisible for a long period of time under the permission of NTCA (National Tiger Conservation Authority) reintroduced male tiger and female tigress and now these reserves have cubs.
Mishra informed that a team of three junior research fellows (JRFs) of Wild Life Institute of India (WII), Dehradun is at the PTR at present. “The team is conducting study in the PTR for reintroduction of male and female tigers from somewhere else here for the population of cubs. It is a fruitful exercise and Sariska and Panna reserves have brightened this hope,” added he
The fellows are being assisted by a whole team of PTR like tiger trackers, forest guards, foresters etc to carry on this feasibility study. WII was doing this job here in May and June but left in panic after the Maoists assaulted two forest guards and issued threats and warnings to not to enter into the forest reserve without their permission.
Sources said the study work by WII is to study whether the PTR’s habitat, prey base, safety and security of wild life, fire danger, presence of bio diversity etc are conducive for reintroducing tigers here. The team is collecting samples of scat of carnivores in a patch of 25 square kilometer each of this more than 1,100 square kilometer of PTR to buttress its study for bring in tigers here from outside. The study work will cover both South and north divisions.
PTR has spent Rs 44 lakh for this feasibility survey cum study. Sources said such a study needs to be highly meticulous and precise and PTR will fight for this reintroduction of tigers here on the pattern of the tiger reserves.