Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Madhav National Reserve (MTR) of Shivpuri has overcome many hurdles before relishing the success of tiger reintroduction.
It remained devoid of tiger population for five long decades and thus its staff was not having the experience of handling wild tigers. Overcoming this hurdle, the MTR witnessed the birth of cubs within 15 months of reintroduction which is comparatively shortest in comparison to other tiger reintroduction programmes.
Uttam Kumar Sharma, Field Director, Madhav Tiger Reserve, said that the prolonged absence of tigers also meant that there was no existing field experience of managing wild tigers within MTR.
In contrast, the staff at Panna and Sariska tiger reserves had institutional experience and training in tiger monitoring, conflict management and ecological dynamics. In the case of MTR, the field staff had never managed a wild tiger during their service careers.
This lack of experience of staff was a major hurdle. Initially, the field staff was apprehensive about tracking tigers on foot. But under able guidance, the team gradually gained the skills needed for effective tiger monitoring.
Sariska Tiger Reserve took more than four years after reintroduction for successful reproduction while Panna Tiger Reserve’s first birth (tiger cub) took place nearly a year after reintroduction.
MTR witnessed reproduction success within 15 months of reintroduction when the tigress brought from Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve was seen along with two cubs of three months on September 17, 2024.
