Bhubaneswar: India's first tiger relocation project in Satkoshia Tiger Reserve in Odisha suffered a major jolt today with the tragic death of a male tiger brought from the Kanja Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh.
Official sources said the three year old male tiger which was relocated inside the Satkoshia Tiger Reserve in June last, was found dead and its carcass was traced inside the core area of the Tiger Reserve.
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) under whose guidance and monitoring the relocation of tiger in Satkoshia was carried out to raise the population of big cat, has already deputed its member to the spot and submit a report.NTCA sources said, with the tragic death of the male tiger, the tiger relocation project has been temporarily suspended.
As per the programme, the Madhya Pradesh government had agreed to provide three pairs of tiger to the Odisha government for the relocation of the tigers in the Satkoshia Tiger Reserve and accordingly in the first phase, two tigers were brought from Madhya Pradesh and released inside the sanctuary.
While the male tiger moved deep into the Satkoshia forest and settled, tigress Sundari failed to settle inside the forest and was seen moving closed to the human habitation.
Tigress Sundari however, killed two persons inside the Satkoshia forest triggering widespread resentment among the villagers who ransacked the forest office, set ablaze police vehicle and blocked the road demanding immediate shifting of the tigress from the Satkoshia Tiger Reserve area.
The forest department was finally forced to tranquilize tigress Sundari with much difficulty and kept in a separate enclosure to study her behavior before taking a final decision on its fate.
Meanwhile, Satkoshia Tiger Reserve DFO Ramswamy P said, they came to know about the death of the tiger when the radio collar fitted to the male tiger stopped transmitting.(UNI)