More tigers are being introduced in Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan’s Alwar district this monsoon under the recovery plan of the tiger habitat which lost all its big cats to alleged poaching some time in 2004-5. Most of the six tigers reintroduced in the past four years, starting with the first male tiger in June-July 2008, were released during this season. And if Sariska needs more tigers, where would the Rajasthan authorities look for other than the Ranthambhore National Park, which at present has an actively breeding cat population? All the tigers in Sariska are from Ranthambhore though there is a proposal to get one or two from the forests of neighbouring Madhya Pradesh. “We propose to shift two-three tigers to Sariska this season. The first one can be from Ranthambhore followed by another, possibly from outside Rajasthan,” said Minister for Environment & Forests Bina Kak presiding over a meeting of the standing committee of the State Board for Wildlife here. “We don’t want to separate the females which have recently paired with males or the ones with small cubs,” she added, pointing out that still there would be plenty to pick up from. “Tigers are well settled in Sariska. We can go for the second phase of the recovery plan,” informed A.C. Choubey, the State’s Chief Wildlife Warden. But for a male tiger which was found dead on the periphery of the reserve two years ago, the other tigers reintroduced in Sariska are all in good condition and well adjusted to the place, he said. The meeting, which cleared the proposal for shifting a tigress from Ranthambhore to Sariska immediately, was attended by State Chief Secretary C. K. Mathew, Additional Chief Secretary V.S. Singh, Finance Secretary Govind Sharma and Head of the Forest Force in Rajasthan U.M. Sahai, besides other members. The proposal will be forwarded to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) of India for final approval. The members debated the possibility of getting a specimen from Madhya Pradesh and felt that Ranthambhore tigers have been migrating to Kuno Palpur and other reserves bordering both States. One of the members, Rajpal Singh, pointed out that presently two tigers from Ranthambhore are in Kuno Palpur. The member was also quick to point out that Ranthambhore tigers and those in Kuno Palpur reported a slightly different gene structure from rest of the tigers in the country. Mr. Choubey informed the meeting of the permission accorded by NTCA for setting up a safari park in Ranthambhore, outside the Critical Tiger Habitat. Ms. Kak said this would help ease tourist pressure on CTH in Ranthambhore and facilitate those in a hurry to watch tigers and go. The areas falling under the forest villagers now in the process of being re-located could form part of the safari park, it was suggested. NTCA has released another instalment of Rs.26 crore for shifting of villages from Ranthambhore. The meeting congratulated the forest authorities and Sawai Madhopur District Collector Giriraj Singh Kushwaha for the latest shifting of a strategic village, Mordoongri, from the Park’s core area.