Centre Gives Go-ahead to Shifting of Male Tiger to Panna
The central government has given nod to a disputed proposal from Madhya Pradesh government to shift a male tiger in the Panna sanctuary from where big cats have been disappearing for quite some time now. The Centre has maintained that it will fix accountability in disappearance of tigers.
Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh recently gave nod to the Northern State proposal to translocate the big cat with an aim to repopulate endangered species in Panna park where two tigress from Bandhavgarh and Kanha parks were shifted in March.
“The Minister has asked the state government to strictly adhere the tiger relocation protocol framed by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) while executing the project,” sources said.
In the wake of protest from wild life experts and NGOs, the translocation of male tiger was obstructed abruptly last month by the NTCA. The protesters alleged that the state government in violation of the norms was carrying out animal translocation in a haste.
“The NGOs had alleged that while the habitat was not safe for the endangered species, the government had translocated two tigress in Panna sanctuary,” the sources added.
The protocol detailing the steps undertaken during the translocation of the royal predator has been the result of the NGOs efforts to ensure that tiger-range states do not shift the big cat as a knee-jerk reaction.
