17 tiger reserves in precarious condition: Ramesh

NEW DELHI: Seventeen tiger reserves in the country are in a precarious condition and could any time end up as Sariska and Panna, where population of the striped cats has depleted sharply, government said on Wednesday.

"Of the 38 tiger reserves in the country, 12 are in good condition while the condition of nine is satisfactory, which could be better, but 17 are in a very very precarious state.

"They can become Panna or Sariska at any point of time," Environment minister Jairam Ramesh said highlighting the vulnerability of the endangered species in the country.

The minister was speaking at a function here organised by Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII).

He said expert teams have been constituted for the seventeen reserves and their reports have been submitted and were being studied.

"We are studying them and taking measures accordingly. Simplipal tiger reserve (Orissa) is under threat from Naxalite and Maoists besides other factors. Similar is the position of Palmau and Indravati and Valmiki in Bihar," he said.

"We hope that through these interventions we would be able to make some substantial differences," he added.

There are merely 1,411 tigers left in the country, according to a recent government census. Fragmented habitats and poaching besides man-animal conflict has taken toll on the big cats as happened in Sariska (Rajasthan) and Panna (MP) tiger reserves, where population of the endangered animals depleted recently.

The government has initiated a relocation programme for the species in Sariska and Panna reserves.