Jaipur: The state forest department is set to airlift tigers from Madhya Pradesh in a phased interstate relocation, beginning in October and expected to conclude by December. This will be Rajasthan’s second helicopter-based tiger translocation, but the first to be done interstate.The first took place successfully in 2008, when a male tiger was flown by helicopter from Ranthambore National Park to Sariska Tiger Reserve. However, that operation was not interstate.The decision was taken during a meeting held on Wednesday at the Parliament House office in the presence of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Union minister for environment and forests Bhupender Yadav, and senior forest officials, including Anand Kumar, additional chief secretary of the forest department, and chief wildlife warden Shikha Mehra.A state official said, “Seven tigers—including both males and females—will be translocated to Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve in Kota and Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve in Bundi.”Officials also confirmed that all necessary preparations for the tiger translocation are underway. One official added, “Given the distance and challenging landscape, helicopters will be used for the translocation.”The prey base is also being strengthened, with plans to release 150 chitals (spotted deer) into the reserves. The meeting also called for expediting the no objection certificate process to fast-track development works in forest areas.All paperwork was completed, and formal approval under Section 12 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, was granted on March 25. The forest department waited for summer to end before starting the translocation.Environmentalist Bhanwar Singh Hada, welcoming the move, said, “At present, Ramgarh has seven big cats, including sub-adults, and Mukundra has five, including a cub. This is a crucial step to improve the gene pool, as earlier research by the National Centre for Biological Sciences found that Rajasthan has more inbred tigers than any other state in the country.”
