Tigress from TATR translocated to Sahyadri Reserve as part of conservation plan

A sub-adult tigress from Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve was tranquillised and captured for translocation to Sahyadri Tiger Reserve to boost genetic diversity and support breeding efforts. Officials conducted health checks and fitted a GPS collar ahead of a controlled soft release

Chandrapur:  A sub-adult tigress has been captured from the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur district for translocation to the Sahyadri Reserve as part of breeding and conservation efforts, an official said.

During an operation on Monday, a team of forest officials, veterinary officers, and rapid rescue personnel, among others, tranquillised the big cat, T7_f_S2_f, the daughter of the tigress identified as T7, TATR’s field director, Dr Prabhu Nath Shukla, said in a release.

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He said that the capture was strategically executed within the tigress’s vast home range, which overlaps both the Tadoba and Kolara core ranges.

Shukla said this operation is part of a broader project to re-establish a viable breeding population in the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve (STR). The introduction of this genetically distinct lineage aims to prevent inbreeding and boost the long-term survival of the tiger metapopulation in Maharashtra.

This is the second tigress being sent to STR from Tadoba.

Following the capture, a thorough health assessment was conducted, and the big cat was fitted with a VHF/GPS radio collar, the official said.

Shukla said that upon arrival at STR, the tigress will undergo a controlled ‘soft release’ into a temporary enclosure.