Rishikesh: One hundred camera traps have been installed in the western part of Rajaji Tiger Reserve to keep a constant watch on the movement of relocated tigers, officials said on Monday.
Recently, two tigers, one male and the other female, were relocated from Corbett Tiger Reserve to Rajaji to increase their population in its western part.
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“We have set up 100 camera traps in the western part of Rajaji to keep an eye on the relocated tigers. We are getting pictures of their movement in the reserve regularly. We are also actively exploring whether the relocated male tiger who ran away from its enclosure at Motichoor range of the reserve can be radio collared once again,” Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) Vinod Kumar Singhal told PTI.
The relocated male tiger had escaped from its enclosure at Motichoor range of Rajaji just a few days after its relocation there earlier this month, dropping behind its radio collar.
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“We are studying methods adopted by other tiger reserves in the country for radio collaring relocated tigers. If all the institutions partnering with us in the tiger relocation project agree, we may try to radio collar the tiger again,” Singhal said.
A decision on deploying captive elephants to maintain a vigil on the relocated tigers at the reserve may also be taken soon, Singhal said.
DIG (forest) of the National Tiger Conservation Authority of India had recently written to the Uttarakhand Forest Department, asking it to step up vigilance of the relocated tigers at Rajaji.
