Sariska prepares to bring tigers home : Nature Environment

Sawai Madhopur (Rajasthan), Dec 25 - After poachers wiped out tigers from the landscape of Sariska National Park, the big cats are all set to return.

The union ministry of environment and forest has already given a go-ahead for the reintroduction of the big cats into the national park, better known once as 'Tiger's Den'. Work has now started on the ground level to relocate tigers in Sariska.

'We are going to introduce five big cats, males and females, in the national park so that they can live happily together. Most probably, they will be taken from Ranthambore and introduced in Sariska,' union Minister of State for Environment and Forest Namo Narayan Meena told IANS.

'Our prime minister (Manmohan Singh) is concerned about tiger conservation in the country, and we have given a go ahead to tiger reintroduction in Sariska,' Meena said.

Expressing concern about poaching of tigers, the minister said: 'It's really sad that Sariska, which once hogged limelight due to its tiger population, is without these beautiful creatures now.'

'The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and other leading wildlife experts have forwarded a four-point guideline to the state government via our ministry. One village has already been relocated and four-five villages will be relocated soon,' the minister said.

This park, nearly 107 km from Jaipur, the capital city of Rajasthan, covers an area of 800 sq km, with a core area of around 500 sq km. It is in the Alwar district of Rajasthan.

With the northern Aravali Hills and its sharp cliffs and narrow valleys dotting the skyline, the natural habitat was declared a sanctuary in 1955 and became a National Park in 1979.

Meena said a major road was passing through the park and the state government has been asked to close it.

'The road is causing a lot of human-animal conflict and we have asked the state to close it. Only after this, we can take tigers to Sariska,' he said.

Ashok Kumar, chairman of Wildlife Trust of India, said: 'It's definitely a welcome move. Even if it has not been tried anywhere else, yet its worth a try.'

'Before that all villages have to be relocated as the new tigers will find it little destabilising inside the park. We cannot risk human life. The public road inside the park is a big nuisance and WTI has moved court for its closure,' Kumar told IANS.