The tigers will be translocated from Bandhavgarh, Panna, Kanha, and Pench tiger reserves.
- Translocation would be done under the animal exchange programme.
- It would be the biggest relocation of big cats from any state.
- Madhya Pradesh is facilitating this project because it has the largest tiger population (785) in the country.
About Inter-state Tiger Translocation Projects
- Objective:
- Re-introduction of a tiger population in an area once part of its historical range, but from which it has been extirpated or become extinct.
- Reinforcement/Supplementation of tigers to an existing population to enhance its long-term viability.
- The first tiger relocation project was initiated in 2018 wherein two big cats, from Kanha Tiger Reserve and Bandhavgarh, were relocated to Satkosia Tiger Reserve (Odisha).
- National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is key in facilitating such projects.
Benefits of Translocation
- Ecological Balance: Restores predator-prey dynamics in underpopulated reserves.
- Human-animal Conflict Mitigation: Reduces human-tiger conflicts in overcrowded reserves.
- Rewilding Landscapes: Revives areas where tigers were locally extinct.
Concerns associated with Translocation
- Protests from local communities: Villagers living near tiger reserves fear that the tiger will endanger their lives, etc.
- Territorial disputes with existing Tigers: This pushes new tigers into human-dominated areas.
- Other: Poor forest management such as prey augmentation, etc.
