Nagpur: With all tiger cages full in Gorewada Rescue Centre run by the Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM), the forest department is finding ways to accommodate increasing numbers of abandoned and captured big cats.
A 10-month-old tiger that was captured from Chichpalli forest range in Chandrapur division in April this year and now stranded in transit treatment centre there, will be dispatched to Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), Borivali, Mumbai, soon. The tiger is too young to be used as a mate but will be housed for safari purposes.
Earlier, on August 4, NT-1, a tiger captured from Talodhi range in Bramhapuri in July 19, 2020, was handed over to Maharajbagh zoo for mating purposes. NT-1 had mauled three humans. There are 10 tiger cages in Gorewada and all have been occupied by problem tigers.
“We issued an order last week to shift the 10-month-old tiger to SGNP. There are three cells vacant in Borivali where this tiger will be accommodated. We need to take a decision as Gorewada centre is full,” said acting PCCF (wildlife) MK Rao.
On shifting recently captured male tiger from Rajura (RT1) to Borivali, Rao said, “RT1 cannot be released in the wild now but no decision has been taken to shift it to SGNP.”
The Chichpalli tiger was three months old when it was captured from Sushi Dabgaon village on April 24, 2020. With the help of DNA matching, the department tried to reunite the cub with its mother. But the first-of-its-kind experiment in the country failed. Now, the cub is 10 months old and cannot be released in the wild.
Chandrapur chief conservator (CCF) NR Praveen said, “We have received orders to send the cub to SGNP. A mutual decision on logistics to shift the tiger to Borivali will be taken soon.”
This will be the second tiger to be shifted to Borivali in a year’s time. On December 16 last year, a two-year-old tiger Sultan (C1) was sent to SGNP for breeding purposes. Sultan was captured from Chandrapur district in 2018.