Release of captured TATR tiger in limbo!

By Kaushik Bhattacharya

The decision to release the recently captured sub-adult tiger from Khadsangi forest range of Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) is in limbo as the state level committee that decides the fate of ‘captured tigers’ in Maharashtra has no plans to conduct any review meeting to decide the future of the big cat. As per Forest Department officials, the State-level committee which is headed by Additional Principal Chief Conservation of forest (Protection) takes the decision about the release of captured tigers in the wild. The committee guides the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) to issue orders to release the big cat in forest or to keep it in captivity. “Normally the meeting should take place within 3-8 days of the capture of the tiger. The captured tiger, if it is fit to release in the wild, should be released within 10 days in forest,” a senior official from the Forest Department told ‘The Hitavada’ on condition of anonymity. “Earlier, the process was quick and the committee took the decision of release of tigers within few days. However, in recent time it is taking too much time,” said the official.

According to a source, the last meeting of the committee took place around six months ago and since then no decision to release of any captured tiger in the wild has taken place. Nagpur-based Gorewada Rescue Centre, the only shelter for rescued wild animals in Maharashtra, currently has 30 tigers and 29 leopards. Among these 30 tigers there are some injured and some are old. Such tigers have to live in the rescue centre for their whole life. Whereas there are many tigers who were brought in the rescue centre due to man-animal conflict. Among them some are fit to be released into wild. The committee will decide the fate of these tigers but no meeting took place in last six months, which has increased the burden over the rescue centre, which already has excess tigers in their enclosures. Out of 30 tigers, 24 were sent to the Gorewada in last 5 years and many of them are waiting for their release into wild. “Gorewada has 10 tiger enclosures. But, we are accommodating 30 tigers and 29 leopards in other herbivorous enclosures. Even, the rescue centre has already exhausted its carrying capacity and only one more tiger can be kept in the rescue centre,” said a source.

The process of releasing tigers into wild should be sped up as the committee is working very slow. In last six months not a single tiger has been released in the wild from Gorewada, claimed the source. “Keeping a tiger in captivity for so long can cause injuries to the big cat. The committee should consider the stress level of captured tigers in captivity. Due to stress such tigers can break their canine which cause injuries to them. Therefore the process of releasing in the wild should take place within a week,” claimed a wildlife expert. The recently captured sub-adult tiger from TATR was fit and it was in search of its territory. It was frequently venturing near human settlements and killed three persons due to which villagers were living in fear for last seven months. The villagers were demanding capture of the problematic tigress. After so many man-animal encounters, the Forest Department decided to rescue the tiger from the forest. After getting the permission from PCCF (Wildlife) the Forest team tranquillised and rescued the tigress by following the National Tiger Conservation Authority SoP and send it to Gorewada. Now, the committee will direct PCCF to release the tiger in the wild or not. But, there is no action taken so far by the committee to decide its fate even after two days of its capture.