Tiger reintroduced at Indian reserve after poachers kill off population

Maseeh Rahman, The Guardian 30 Jun 08;

Wildlife conservationists are hoping to introduce a tiger to a part of Rajastan where poachers had killed off an entire population in a forest reserve.

Sariska, a reserve 120 miles south of Delhi, made news three years ago when it was discovered that its population of 26 tigers had disappeared having fallen prey to poachers and human encroachment into the forest.

The uproar forced the government to order a nationwide tiger census. A report earlier this year showed the numbers are down to around 1,400 less than half the big cat population five years ago.

The return of the tiger to Sariska last weekend is part of an effort to ensure that India's national symbol does not become extinct.

"This is the first time anywhere in the world that a tiger has been relocated from one natural habitat to another," said PR Sinha, director of the Wildlife Institute of India. "Nobody knows how this tiger will behave away from home."

An Indian air force helicopter touched down in the Sariska tiger reserve in Rajasthan on Saturday to release a five-year-old male flown in from another sanctuary.

The Sariska tiger has been flown in from Ranthambore sanctuary, which has around 40 tigers. Tigers usually live between eight to ten years in the wild and the five-year-old migrant is approaching the age when a tiger begins to mark out its own territory.

Conservationists are hoping that it will stake its territorial claim using scratch marks, urine and faecal droppings, in Sariska.

To prevent the tiger from attempting to return to its orginal habitat wildlife workers have released the animal in a fenced, one hectare enclosure within the sanctuary. A goat was released into the enclosure on Sunday, and the tiger killed and ate the animal, suggesting it was settling in.

"We'll allow the tiger to move out of the enclosure on Wednesday and then monitor its movements night and day to see what it does," said Sinha. "The tiger's collar has both satellite and VHF transmitters to help us keep track. And there's enough natural prey inside the sanctuary for it to survive on its own."

A team of experts, including two vets with tranquiliser guns, are keeping watch. If the tiger appears to be heading back to Ranthambore, it will be brought back into the enclosure.

"It will be a slow process," said Sinha. "The idea is to get the tiger used to its new home. If this succeeds, then over the next three years we plan to bring in four more tigers – three females and another male. They will breed and multiply."