Panna all set to welcome Kanha tigress
March 25th, 2011 - 8:26 pm ICT by IANSBhopal, March 25 (IANS) A five-year-old tigress from Madhya Pradesh’s Kanha National Park will Friday night make a 450-km road journey to her new home in Panna forest.
Her journey was originally scheduled in December last year but had to be postponed as she was injured in a fight with another tigress in Kanha.
Both tigresses have been selected for the translocation from Kanha as part of a government programme to reintroduce the big cats in Panna National Park, also in Madhya Pradesh.
However, only one tigress will be moved to Panna Friday. The other one will be shifted later.
Wildlife scientists and veterinarians from the Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India are in Kanha and Panna to oversee the intricate translocation operation.
“The tigress to be brought to Panna is aged about five years and is living in extended enclosure ever since her mother died,” said R. Sriniwas Murthy, director of Panna Tiger Reserve.
The tigress will be tranquilised Friday evening before her travel to Panna. She will arrive there by Saturday morning, covering the distance ofabout 450 km. Officials say they hope the journey would be completed in about 12 hours.
She will be radio-collared before her release in the Mandla forest range of Panna.
The Kanha and Panna national parks are two of the six tiger reserves in Madhya Pradesh. The 1,945 sq km Kanha park was set up in 1955. According to a census in 2006, Kanha had about 90-130 tigers.
Spread across more than 500 sq km, Panna was created in 1981. Currently, Panna has three adult tigers and two cubs. A tigress, which had been earlier translocated from Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, also in Madhya Pradesh, to Panna, has mated and given birth to four cubs there in March this year. Unfortunately, two cubs went missing and are feared dead.
The Panna officials said that they have requisitioned one elephant each from Kanha, Satpura and Bandhavgarh forests to monitor the tigress’ movements in the first 15 days.
The state government has secured permission to shift six tigers - four females and two males - to Panna from different reserves in Madhya Pradesh from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
- Panna has a new resident - Kanha's orphan tigress - Nov 13, 2011
- Kanha tigress finds new home in Panna forest - Mar 27, 2011
- Kanha's second orphaned tigress sent to Panna reserve - Nov 13, 2011
- Panna to get two Kanha tiger princesses in December - Nov 24, 2010
- Roaring news! Translocated tigress gives birth - Dec 17, 2011
- Heavy rain delays translocation of Kanha tigress to Panna - Mar 26, 2011
- Panna reserve celebrates with three new tiger cubs - May 09, 2010
- Ramesh announces Rs. 200 crore for tiger relocation programmes in MP - Apr 17, 2011
- Scouting for male company for Panna's tigresses! - Sep 24, 2009
- Whither 'Sher Khans' of Madhya Pradesh? - Mar 29, 2011
- Sariska tigers feature in BBC series (With Images) - Feb 02, 2012
- Now, annual tiger assessment in every state - May 16, 2011
- Over thousand wild animals killed in Madhya Pradesh - Dec 09, 2010
- Panna tigresses to get male companion in a fortnight - Oct 11, 2009
- Tigers in Kanha to be recounted - Apr 18, 2011
Tags: big cats, cubs, elephant, forest range, friday evening, kanha national park, madhya pradesh, march 25, murthy, national parks, road journey, saturday morning, tiger reserve, tiger reserves, tigers, tigress, tigresses, translocation, veterinarians, wildlife scientists