Gorewada offers tiger Sultan to Borivali for breeding programme
Vijay Pinjarkar | tnn | Apr 13, 2019, 05:10 IST
Nagpur: Male tiger Sultan from Gorewada Rescue Centre here will be shifted to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), Borivali. The two-year-old tiger will be shifted to Mumbai this month for conservation breeding.
Sultan (C1), the cub of tigress T1, was captured on July 12, 2018, from Sindewahi range by Brahmapuri forest division officials after claims that it killed two villagers in June last. The tiger was later shifted to Gorewada Rescue Centre, run by the Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM).
Additional principal chief conservator of forests (APCCF) for wildlife (west) MK Rao confirmed that last year they had demanded a wild breed tiger from Gorewada. “A formal permission was issued by chief wildlife warden on March 14, 2019, to shift a young male captured from Tumsar in Bhandara to SGNP,” said Rao.
However, FDCM managing director N Rambabu said, “Instead of young male ‘Rajkumar’ captured from Tumsar, we have requested to shift Sultan. Rajkumar is a human-friendly tiger and is considered proper for the proposed tiger safari, which is part of international zoo at Gorewada.”
Rambabu added, “Rajkumar was to be shifted on April 10, but now we are awaiting fresh orders for Sultan from chief wildlife warden in the next 4-5 days.”
Rajkumar is the tiger that had entered into a wedding reception in Madhya Pradesh and later entered Maharashtra, where it was caught on December 22, 2017, on the outskirts of Sitasawangi village.
Rao said, “The need for tiger is purely for change in genetic heterozygocity. Presently, there is inbreeding among tigers at SGNP. We have seven tigers, two of them very aged and two siblings of the same gene. We need a male as mate for the two tigresses. All requisite permissions from Central Zoo Authority (CZA) will be taken,” Rao said.
However, wildlife vets have sounded a note of caution in shifting the tiger when temperature is soaring. “This is not breeding season and the tiger can be shifted during monsoon,” say a section of vets.
Veterinary officer with SGNP Dr Shailesh Pethe said, “The tiger can be shifted during night with stoppages at every 200km. Earlier, two tigresses were shifted in summer season only. The tigers in Gorewada, which have been captured from the same region, are familiar with heat in Vidarbha. We will take all precautions.”
NEW GUEST AT BORIVALI
* 87 sqkm SGNP has 7 tigers — white tiger Bajirao (19), Basanti (17), Yash (11), Anand (11), Laxmi (8), Bijlee (10) and Mastani (10).
* Sultan is wanted for breeding purposes with three females, out of which Bijlee and Mastani were shifted from Pench, Maharashtra, after experiment to reintroduce them into the wild failed
* FDCM refuses to part with another male tiger Rajkumar and instead offered to give Sultan
* Sultan will not be on display. Option open to distribute its cubs to zoos in Maharashtra as part of genetic exchange
Sultan (C1), the cub of tigress T1, was captured on July 12, 2018, from Sindewahi range by Brahmapuri forest division officials after claims that it killed two villagers in June last. The tiger was later shifted to Gorewada Rescue Centre, run by the Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM).
Additional principal chief conservator of forests (APCCF) for wildlife (west) MK Rao confirmed that last year they had demanded a wild breed tiger from Gorewada. “A formal permission was issued by chief wildlife warden on March 14, 2019, to shift a young male captured from Tumsar in Bhandara to SGNP,” said Rao.
However, FDCM managing director N Rambabu said, “Instead of young male ‘Rajkumar’ captured from Tumsar, we have requested to shift Sultan. Rajkumar is a human-friendly tiger and is considered proper for the proposed tiger safari, which is part of international zoo at Gorewada.”
Rambabu added, “Rajkumar was to be shifted on April 10, but now we are awaiting fresh orders for Sultan from chief wildlife warden in the next 4-5 days.”
Rajkumar is the tiger that had entered into a wedding reception in Madhya Pradesh and later entered Maharashtra, where it was caught on December 22, 2017, on the outskirts of Sitasawangi village.
Rao said, “The need for tiger is purely for change in genetic heterozygocity. Presently, there is inbreeding among tigers at SGNP. We have seven tigers, two of them very aged and two siblings of the same gene. We need a male as mate for the two tigresses. All requisite permissions from Central Zoo Authority (CZA) will be taken,” Rao said.
However, wildlife vets have sounded a note of caution in shifting the tiger when temperature is soaring. “This is not breeding season and the tiger can be shifted during monsoon,” say a section of vets.
Veterinary officer with SGNP Dr Shailesh Pethe said, “The tiger can be shifted during night with stoppages at every 200km. Earlier, two tigresses were shifted in summer season only. The tigers in Gorewada, which have been captured from the same region, are familiar with heat in Vidarbha. We will take all precautions.”
NEW GUEST AT BORIVALI
* 87 sqkm SGNP has 7 tigers — white tiger Bajirao (19), Basanti (17), Yash (11), Anand (11), Laxmi (8), Bijlee (10) and Mastani (10).
* Sultan is wanted for breeding purposes with three females, out of which Bijlee and Mastani were shifted from Pench, Maharashtra, after experiment to reintroduce them into the wild failed
* FDCM refuses to part with another male tiger Rajkumar and instead offered to give Sultan
* Sultan will not be on display. Option open to distribute its cubs to zoos in Maharashtra as part of genetic exchange
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