Mumbai: In a major wildlife management initiative, eight tigers, five females and three males, will be relocated from the crowded Tadoba-Andhari and Pench reserves in Vidarbha to the underpopulated Sahyadri Tiger Reserve in the Western Ghats.
The move, cleared by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests on Thursday, aims to reduce frequent territorial conflicts and man-animal clashes in Vidarbha while simultaneously re-establishing Sahyadri as a viable tiger habitat.
Reason Behind Relocation Of Tigers
The Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve alone houses 95 tigers, with Chandrapur district hosting another 250. Overcrowding has led to regular fights among the big cats, some fatal. Just last week, one tiger died and another was badly injured in a territorial battle. Relocating a few tigers is expected to ease pressure on this region, where human-tiger encounters have also increased.
At the same time, Sahyadri, spread across parts of the Konkan and Satara, has only three resident tigers and nine occasional visitors from Karnataka and Goa. Forest officials say breeding rates in Sahyadri have been alarmingly low. A 2022 presentation to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) highlighted this concern, leading to the current proposal prepared by IFS officer Clement Ben.
Additional Chief Secretary (Forests) Milind Mhaiskar described the relocation as a 'long-awaited and welcome decision,' stressing that it would balance both conservation and conflict-reduction needs. How the tigers will be moved, by road or helicopter, will be decided in a meeting next week, said Tadoba-Andhari field director Prabhunath Shukla, as quoted by Hindustan Times.
Experts Divided On The Move
While some conservationists support the plan, others have raised concerns. Suresh Chopane of Green Planet, a Chandrapur-based NGO, backs the relocation, pointing out that Vidarbha has 'too many tigers competing for limited space,' leading to an average of two tiger deaths from territorial fights every year.
However, tiger expert Dr. Anish Andheria of the Wildlife Conservation Trust has warned that translocating Vidarbha tigers to Sahyadri may not succeed. He argues that Sahyadri differs sharply in topography, rainfall, prey density, and community attitudes. With fewer wild prey animals, relocated tigers may turn to domestic cattle, heightening human-wildlife conflict. The strip-like geography of the Sahyadri also makes it easy for tigers to stray into villages.
Andheria suggests a more regionally attuned approach: relocating female tigers from southern Maharashtra, which share ecological similarities with Sahyadri, rather than bringing cats from central India.
