Munnar tigress released into interior forest of Periyar Tiger Reserve

The translocation was supervised by R. Arun, Chief Conservator of Forest, High Range Circle.

Stepping out of the green-coloured iron cage, the nine-year-old tigress, which was brought from Munnar, looked sideways before disappearing into the wilderness of Periyar.

The big cat sluggishly walked out of sight and into the thick vegetation in a while, thus marking the conclusion of a nearly 13-hour-long operation to translocate a tiger, the first ever such attempt by the Kerala Forest Department. The animal was released at an undisclosed destination in Periyar Tiger Reserve on Friday at 8.30 am.

The release site was located around 40 km in the deep interiors of the Reserve, which cannot be accessed even by a jeep. The tigress was chemically tranquilised by a team of forest veterinarians at around 7 p.m. at Munnar on Thursday. Later, a satellite-linked radio-collar was worn around its neck. The vehicle carrying the caged tiger, which had forayed into the Nayamakkad and East Kadalur areas of Munnar and killed 10 cattle and injured another one, reached the Reserve in the early hours of the day. The cage was later shifted into the tractor for taking it into the interior forest.

The tigress remained in slumber for nearly five hours only to wake up later as the effect of the sedative waned away. The animal was properly fed before being translocated, said an official who was involved in the translocation operation.

The translocation was supervised by R. Arun, Chief Conservator of Forest, High Range Circle.

The site for the release of the animal was selected after ensuring that it didn’t fall within the territory of any other tiger to avoid conflicts and turf war between them. The area is rich in Sambar, Gaur and small mammals, which could form the prey-base of the big cat. The decision to release the animal into the wild was taken after a medical report suggested that it was fit for translocation. The radio collar has been set in such a way that it would send signals on the location of the animal every hour. The signals will be received and the movement of the animal tracked at Periyar Tiger Reserve. If required, the animal can be easily located and tranquilised, the official said.