A stray tigress makes a new home, giving a struggling Chhattisgarh reserve hope of revival, Pg11

Key Highlights:

• A four-year-old tigress, named Paheli, has settled in Chhattisgarh's Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve (USTR), offering hope for its revival.
• USTR's tiger population had vanished by 2023, after declining from 18 tigers in 1998.
• The tigress's continued presence, even through the harsh summer, suggests the habitat can sustain a breeding tiger population.
• Officials are undertaking habitat improvement, anti-poaching efforts, and planning tiger translocation from Madhya Pradesh.
• Efforts are also underway to revive the wild buffalo population, the state animal of Chhattisgarh.

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Detailed Insights:

• Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve (USTR), established in 2009 by merging Udanti and Sitanadi sanctuaries, spans 1,842.54 sq km.
• The reserve experienced a significant decline in wildlife, with tiger numbers falling from 18 in 1998 to zero by 2023, and wild buffaloes from 80 to one.
• The arrival of Paheli in January is significant as she is not officially recorded by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
• Achanakmar Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh provides a successful precedent for natural tiger population recovery, exemplified by a tigress named Jhumri.
• USTR is implementing regular foot patrolling, camera trapping, and thermal drone monitoring for Paheli, with plans for radio-collaring.
• Habitat improvement initiatives include developing 500 hectares of grassland and creating water bodies to enhance wildlife sustenance.
• Over 956 hectares of encroached land have been cleared from the core and buffer areas, despite the presence of over 100 villages within the reserve.
• Anti-poaching efforts have resulted in 15 inter-state operations and over 100 arrests related to wildlife trafficking and illegal firearm manufacturing.
• The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has approved the translocation of one male and two female tigers from Madhya Pradesh to USTR.
• Three female wild buffaloes have been brought from Assam for release into the reserve to bolster the critically endangered population.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Tiger Reserve: Protected areas designated for the conservation of tigers and their habitats under Project Tiger.
• National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA): A statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, responsible for tiger conservation.
• Wildlife Institute of India (WII): An autonomous institution under the MoEFCC, involved in wildlife research, training, and management.
• Translocation: The capture, transport, and release of wild animals from one location to another for conservation or population management.
• Wild Buffalo: Bubalus arnee, an endangered species and the state animal of Chhattisgarh, crucial for maintaining grassland ecosystems.