Current Context: MoEFCC has approved the translocation of 8 tigers (3 males, 5 females) from Tadoba-Andhari and Pench Tiger Reserves to Sahyadri Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra.

ABOUT THE PROJECT

• Legal basis: Section 12 of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
• Aim: Revive tiger population in the northern Western Ghats
• Earlier approved by: National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)

BENEFITS

• Restores predator-prey balance
• Reduces human-tiger conflict in overcrowded reserves
• Rewilds habitats where tigers were locally extinct

CONCERNS : Local protests, territorial disputes with existing tigers, poor prey base, weak forest management

ABOUT SAHYADRI TIGER RESERVE

• Established: 2010 (by merging Chandoli National Park and Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary)
• Location: Sahyadri ranges, Western Ghats, Maharashtra (northernmost tiger habitat in the Western Ghats)
• Reservoirs: Shivsagar (Koyna River), Vasant Sagar (Warana River)
• Fauna: Wild dog, leopard, gaur, sambar, mouse deer, hornbills, Indian river tern