Satkosia stays bereft of big cats

Bhubaneswar: Satkosia Tiger Reserve, the state’s second tiger habitat after Similipal, is bereft of a single big cat at present. So far, there is no whereabouts of the reserve’s lone tigress, which was seen for the last time long ago.
The bid to increase tiger population in the reserve also failed miserably with the country’s first ever inter-state tiger translocation resulting in male tiger, MB2, falling prey to poachers and Sundari returning to Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh.
Now, the reserve has just a few leopards and varieties of prey animals. Locals and former honorary wildlife wardens have blamed forest officers’ apathy for the situation.
“The forest department did not consult local communities while planning to boost the number of big cats in the reserve. The prey base was not studied properly. Following its arrival at Satkosia in June 2018 and release to the wild 29 days later, Sundari moved towards human habitation. The animal perhaps didn’t get her prey in the territory,” said former honorary wildlife warden Pradip Sahu.
Satkosia reserve’s two divisions — Satkosia wildlife and Mahanadi wildlife — are separated by a 22km gorge. To ensure an undisturbed territory, more adjoining areas should have been included in the reserve under the translocation project in 2015, believe experts.
In 2019, when the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) decided to take Sundari back to Kanha and suspended the translocation project in Satkosia, wildlife conservationists had apprehended that the reserve’s tiger pool would be completely wiped out.
“The tigress could have mated with MB2 and bred healthy cubs. Since the tiger died because of suspected poaching, Sundari could not be seen. Had the translocation project been successful, at least two more male tigers would have come to Satkosia as total six tigers were planned,” said wildlife enthusiast Sushil Pradhan.
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