Tigresses Relocation to Palamu Reserve

• 20 Jun 2024

Why in News?

According to the sources,to keep the four tigers that have moved to Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR) efforts are being made to bring in two tigresses and one tiger from another reserve.

Key Points

• The approval of the National Zoo Authority is awaited for shifting 350 animals to the Soft Release Centers (SRC) set up in the reserve.
  • Permission from National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) for shifting the cheetals, sambhars and deer has already been obtained.
• The forest officials have set up four SRCs to ensure enough food for tigers, which will help them breed in the reserve.
  • In these centres, animals are placed in pre-release cages placed close to the location where they will be released.
• Soft releases at Baresadh, Lukaiya, Mundu, and Dhardharia cover 10 hectares each, creating a suitable environment for cheetal breeding, which will serve as prey for the tigers.
• Cheetals and sambhar will be shifted from Betla National Park and Bhagwan Birsa Biological Park (Birsa Zoo) to different SRCs.
• According to the report on the status of tigers in India, released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019, there were no tigers in PTR.
  • PTR is spread over an area of about 1,230 sq km. It was made a tiger reserve in 1973.

National Zoo Authority

• It is a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. It was constituted in 1992 under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
• It is chaired by the Union Minister of Environment and has 10 members and a member-secretary.
• The main objective of the authority is to complement and strengthen the national effort in conservation of rich biodiversity.
• The authority provides recognition to zoos and is also tasked with regulating the zoos across the country.
  • It lays down guidelines and prescribes rules under which animals may be transferred among zoos nationally and internationally.
  • It coordinates and implements programmes on capacity building of zoo personnel, planned breeding programmes and ex-situ research.

National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)

• It is a statutory body under section 38 L (1) of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
• It was established in 2005 following the recommendations of the Tiger Task Force.