JAIPUR: The much-awaited relocation of tigers from the Ranthambore National Park to the Sariska Tiger Reserve, considered the first of its kind, is all set to take place on Saturday.
Under the joint aegis of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and the state forest department, the trial run to shift the tiger was conducted on Friday.
The Rs 1.5-crore project to reintroduce the big cats at the 881.11 square kilometre Sariska reserve after it lost all its tigers to poaching has been much debated with experts differing on whether this was a wise move.
While a section has been advocating the cause, another said it was dangerous as there were still some villages in the core forest area.
"We had the trial run of the relocation of the tigers today (Friday). Tomorrow, one tiger will be relocated to Sariska," director of the Sariska Tiger Reserve, R S Somashekhar, told TOI over the phone.
After being brought into the reserve, the tiger will be kept in a fenced enclosure at Nayapani, an area that has been known for most tiger sightings. The radio-collar-fitted tiger will be kept under a strict watch before it is released in the open. Later, it will be joined by another tiger, also from Ranthambore.
Three tigers, two females and one male, are to be brought from Ranthambore in the first phase. However, authorities have kept under wraps whether the first to be shifted would be a male or a female.
