TS Forest dept translocates wild herbivores from Zoos, Parks to tiger bearing areas

The department has taken up a programme to translocate wild herbivores from Zoos and Parks to Tiger bearing areas for improving the prey base

Hyderabad: The State Forest department’s translocation of excess wild herbivores from zoo and parks to tiger bearing areas is serving two purposes. It is aiding in effective management of the increasing wild herbivores at the Zoos and Deer Parks and increasing the prey population in the tiger bearing areas, which is drawing more big cats into the State.

On Tuesday, the forest department released 25 spotted deer in Pakhal Wildlife Sanctuary, Warangal. The department has taken up a programme to translocate wild herbivores from Zoos and Parks where there is excess population of herbivores to Tiger bearing areas and other natural habitat for improving the prey base.

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Under this initiative, the department in the last three months has translocated Spotted Deer (20), Peafowl (six) and Samber (13) from the Kakatiya Zoo Park to the Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary. Similarly, 19 Spotted Deer were translocated from the Nehru Zoological Park (NZP) to the Amrabad Tiger Reserve.

The translocation programme initiated by the department has resulted in increasing population of tigers, panthers, wild dogs and others, in the released areas, officials said. Further, before March end this year, the department is planning to translocate over 400 Spotted Deer from NZP and Mahavir Harina Vanasthali National Park to all the tiger bearing areas in the State.

There are three Zoological Parks at Hyderabad, Hanumakonda and Mahboobnagar in the State, besides three Deer Parks at Shamirpet, Kinnerasani and Lower Manair Dam, Karimnagar. The wild herbivore population is increasing at a fast pace at these locations and managing the wild herbivores is becoming a task for the officials for the department.

On the other hand, movement of Tigers, Panther and other wild predators are being regularly noticed in Amrabad and Kawal Tiger Reserves, Kinnerasani Wildlife Sanctuary, Eturnagaram wildlife Sanctuary and Pakhal Wildlife Sanctuary.

Forest officials said that these areas have comparatively low prey base and there was a need for strengthening such base by releasing deer, sambar and others into the wild, especially into the tiger bearing areas.

The exercise to translocate the wild herbivores is being done as per Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 rules.