31 Dec : Tigers of the world famous Panna sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh will have to wait for another six months to get a female companions.The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has cautioned the state government from acting in haste and instead suggested ensuring conducive habitat before attempting
to execute its plan of female tigress translocation from Bandhavgarh park to Panna reserve.The state government has been facing flak for not taking sufficient and adequate steps to protect the endangered species whose numbers have declined from 10 to 11 two years ago to merely 5 in the state’s fifth tiger reserve.
Worse, female tigress have almost vanished given that in the last two years there have been no sighting of the cubs in the area. Relocation of the tigress on the lines of recently concluded Sariska big cat relocation plan as an answer to balance the skewed ration in the reserve.
Though the state was keen to shift the animal by February next year, the NTCA’s direction to step up intelligence gathering, increase buffer area as well shifting
and rehabilitating four villages situated inside the park will delay the plan at least by six months.
Panna reserve spread in Chhattarpur and Panna districts is around 250 km from Bandhavgarh in Umaria district in eastern part of the state.