KOLKATA:
In a first, the foresters of Sunderbans have released a tigress, that
had undergone treatment in captivity for a year-and-a-half, in the wild
with a collar on its neck.
While there was controversy earlier over the release of tigers in the mangroves without collars, the department this time took no chance and decided to monitor its movements through a hi-tech collar. The state's chief wildlife warden will be able to monitor the animal sitting in his chamber at Bikash Bhawan in Salt Lake. Earlier in 2009, five tigers in the Sunderbans were radio-collared for the estimation of the big cats' number in the mangroves.
"The tigress was released on Friday in a forest near Netidhopani, where it was undergoing treatment in a big enclosure. We started early in the morning yesterday, tranquillized the tigress, fixed a satellite collar around its neck and released it into the wild around 9.30am. A doctor from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) had earlier checked on the 4-year-old tigress and stated that it was fit to be released," said chief wildlife warden Ujjwal Bhattacharya.
Sources said that a captive wild boar was released in the forest to check the big cat's hunting capability. "After regaining consciousness, it slowly moved into the forest and also managed to kill the wild boar. Two male tigers are believed to be frequenting the area where the tigress was released," said an official on condition of anonymity.
The tigress was captured a year-and-a-half back from the forests of Pirkhali-I with weak hind legs and brought to Sajnekhali for treatment. Earlier this year, as per orders from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), it was shifted to a bigger enclosure in Netidhopani so that it could get acclimatized to wild environment. The tigress also got to hone its hunting skills with the foresters releasing wild prey inside its enclosure.
This was a first-of-its-kind exercise in the Sunderbans — that of a wild tiger treated in the wild. Sick tigers from the wild are usually brought to the Alipore zoo for treatment.
Elaborating on the tracking of the animal, Bhattacharya said that the satellite iridium collar will give signals on the tigress' location five times a day. "While a set of data will be received by the officials of the WII in Dehradun, another set of data will be transmitted to me," added Bhattacharya.
The readings on the animal's movement will be stored in the collar and first transmitted to the server in a Finland-based institute. "In this case, the German-made collar will give five readings on the tigress' location. Later, two sets of data, each containing the details of the animal's locations, will be sent to Dehradun and the CWLW's office in Kolkata," said sources, adding that the number of readings can be altered depending upon the battery usage. A brand new collar can give signals up to a year depending upon the draining of the battery.
Eminent wildlife biologist Vidya Athreya, who had collared a tigress in Tass, on the outskirts of Nagpur, before releasing it in the vicinity of Tadoba, said that it's good to collar the animal. "If one can track a problem with the animal in the wild, it can be pulled back. But, I also prefer using an automatic drop-off in the collar so that it falls off once it stops functioning," she said.
However, Bhattacharya said the technology of an automatic drop-off is not available with the WII at the moment. He also said initial signals suggest that the tigress is on the move and roaming around the area where it was released. Considering the safety of the big cat, the department won't be disclosing its locations.
State wildlife advisory board member Biswajit Roy Chowdhury said the move to return a tiger to the wild after more than a year involves risk, both for the tiger and people living in the mangroves. "But, it's good that the tigress was released with a collar as it will help the officials in monitoring its movement," he said.
While there was controversy earlier over the release of tigers in the mangroves without collars, the department this time took no chance and decided to monitor its movements through a hi-tech collar. The state's chief wildlife warden will be able to monitor the animal sitting in his chamber at Bikash Bhawan in Salt Lake. Earlier in 2009, five tigers in the Sunderbans were radio-collared for the estimation of the big cats' number in the mangroves.
"The tigress was released on Friday in a forest near Netidhopani, where it was undergoing treatment in a big enclosure. We started early in the morning yesterday, tranquillized the tigress, fixed a satellite collar around its neck and released it into the wild around 9.30am. A doctor from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) had earlier checked on the 4-year-old tigress and stated that it was fit to be released," said chief wildlife warden Ujjwal Bhattacharya.
Sources said that a captive wild boar was released in the forest to check the big cat's hunting capability. "After regaining consciousness, it slowly moved into the forest and also managed to kill the wild boar. Two male tigers are believed to be frequenting the area where the tigress was released," said an official on condition of anonymity.
The tigress was captured a year-and-a-half back from the forests of Pirkhali-I with weak hind legs and brought to Sajnekhali for treatment. Earlier this year, as per orders from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), it was shifted to a bigger enclosure in Netidhopani so that it could get acclimatized to wild environment. The tigress also got to hone its hunting skills with the foresters releasing wild prey inside its enclosure.
This was a first-of-its-kind exercise in the Sunderbans — that of a wild tiger treated in the wild. Sick tigers from the wild are usually brought to the Alipore zoo for treatment.
Elaborating on the tracking of the animal, Bhattacharya said that the satellite iridium collar will give signals on the tigress' location five times a day. "While a set of data will be received by the officials of the WII in Dehradun, another set of data will be transmitted to me," added Bhattacharya.
The readings on the animal's movement will be stored in the collar and first transmitted to the server in a Finland-based institute. "In this case, the German-made collar will give five readings on the tigress' location. Later, two sets of data, each containing the details of the animal's locations, will be sent to Dehradun and the CWLW's office in Kolkata," said sources, adding that the number of readings can be altered depending upon the battery usage. A brand new collar can give signals up to a year depending upon the draining of the battery.
Eminent wildlife biologist Vidya Athreya, who had collared a tigress in Tass, on the outskirts of Nagpur, before releasing it in the vicinity of Tadoba, said that it's good to collar the animal. "If one can track a problem with the animal in the wild, it can be pulled back. But, I also prefer using an automatic drop-off in the collar so that it falls off once it stops functioning," she said.
However, Bhattacharya said the technology of an automatic drop-off is not available with the WII at the moment. He also said initial signals suggest that the tigress is on the move and roaming around the area where it was released. Considering the safety of the big cat, the department won't be disclosing its locations.
State wildlife advisory board member Biswajit Roy Chowdhury said the move to return a tiger to the wild after more than a year involves risk, both for the tiger and people living in the mangroves. "But, it's good that the tigress was released with a collar as it will help the officials in monitoring its movement," he said.
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