Angul: The Royal Bengal tigress Sundari has moved inside the core area of Satkosia Tiger Reserve Wednesday night.
While talking to reporters Thursday, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest and Field Director of Satokosia Sanctuary Sudarsan Panda said that the tigress had moved inside the core area of Satkosia Tiger Reserve and was seen moving freely with Mahavir, the male Royal Bengal tiger, which was brought from the Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh.
“Though Sundari had shown no signs of leaving the human settlements, the forest department had brought traps to catch her and release in the STR. If she managed to skip the trap, we had decided to tranquilise her. Thankfully, the tigress went back to the core area late Wednesday,” Panda said.
“Going by the behaviour of Sundari, she is most likely to mate with Mahavir. If the mating takes place, the objective of raising the population of Bengal tigers in Satkosia would be fulfilled. The mating will bring down the possibility of Sundari straying into human settlements,” he said.
Earlier Sundari had strayed into human settlements in Athamalik Forest Range and killed a calf at Bipradiha village. Later, it killed five cattle from the same village September 14.
Irate villagers of Hatibari ransacked Dhandatopa Forest Beat House and Tikarpara Forest Range office following the death of a woman whose body was found on the outskirts of the village September 12 morning.
On being informed, a team of experts from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau arrived at Satkosia and monitored the movement and behaviour of the tigress for three days.
The team later said that there was no question of shifting the tigress and Sundari would stay at Satkosia. The team had also asked the Forest Department to seek the cooperation of the villagers and provide them with adequate security.
PNN
