JAIPUR: The disappearance of two prominent male tigers ST-13 and ST-23 has triggered a major search operation in the Sariska Tiger Reserve (STR). There has been no trace of tiger ST-13 for more than three weeks, while tiger ST-23 has been missing for a week.
Sources said both the male tigers were inhabited in the same reserve area covering Talvriksh range, Akbarpur range including Raika, Pani Ka Dhal and other regions of Sariska forest.
The forest department is also having sleepless nights as the radio-collar of the eight-year old tiger ST-13 has stopped functioning. A combing operation has been started after constituting around 25 teams, which are working to trace the big cats. “The ST-23 is a young tiger and often disappears for a few days since it does not have a collar. Similarly, after the recent rainfall ST-13 is also untraceable,” said a source.
The tigers went missing at a time when the ‘Midterm review of current status of Sariska post-tiger reintroduction, tiger translocation and radio collaring strategies in the state of Rajasthan’ is scheduled in STR on February 3.
The Sariska Tiger Reserve (STR), where a first-of-its-kind tiger translocation program was taken up in 2008 at the behist of then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, has always been an unsafe habitat for the big cats. Sources said, the movement of both the tigers was recorded near the Akbarpur range, which had gained notoriety for poaching in the past.
A source said, “In 2018, a tigress was reported missing from the same range and a poacher, who was arrested by the police, had admitted to killing the tigress ST-5 and selling her skin. male tiger ST-11 also died during that time after getting entangled in a barbed wire laid by poachers. As the movement of ST-13 was in the same area and so poaching cannot be ruled out.” Recently, three leopards were also poached near the periphery of the STR.
Sources said both the male tigers were inhabited in the same reserve area covering Talvriksh range, Akbarpur range including Raika, Pani Ka Dhal and other regions of Sariska forest.
The forest department is also having sleepless nights as the radio-collar of the eight-year old tiger ST-13 has stopped functioning. A combing operation has been started after constituting around 25 teams, which are working to trace the big cats. “The ST-23 is a young tiger and often disappears for a few days since it does not have a collar. Similarly, after the recent rainfall ST-13 is also untraceable,” said a source.
The tigers went missing at a time when the ‘Midterm review of current status of Sariska post-tiger reintroduction, tiger translocation and radio collaring strategies in the state of Rajasthan’ is scheduled in STR on February 3.
The Sariska Tiger Reserve (STR), where a first-of-its-kind tiger translocation program was taken up in 2008 at the behist of then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, has always been an unsafe habitat for the big cats. Sources said, the movement of both the tigers was recorded near the Akbarpur range, which had gained notoriety for poaching in the past.
A source said, “In 2018, a tigress was reported missing from the same range and a poacher, who was arrested by the police, had admitted to killing the tigress ST-5 and selling her skin. male tiger ST-11 also died during that time after getting entangled in a barbed wire laid by poachers. As the movement of ST-13 was in the same area and so poaching cannot be ruled out.” Recently, three leopards were also poached near the periphery of the STR.
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