Tigers in Jim Corbett to get more space to roam around

NEW DELHI: Royal predators in the famous Jim Corbett tiger reserve in Uttarakhand are all set to get an extra patch of forest in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh ensuring their free inter-state movement.

"We have finalised details to declare around 80 sq km area in Amangarh forest range in Bijnor bordering the Corbett Tiger reserve as a buffer zone.

"The move will ensure tiger-oriented management in the added area where tigers are being sighted," B K Pattnaik, Uttar Pradesh chief wildlife warden said.

He said the move will ensure strict monitoring on poaching and crime, if any. The tigers can freely roam in Corbett in Uttarakhand and the Amangarh forests in Uttar Pradesh.

The official said a proposal in this regard will be soon forwarded to National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) for its approval. The area will be then notified as per rules under the Wildlife Protection Act.

"There are no villages in the identified area hence the notification will be easier," Pattnaik added.

This is probably for the first time that steps have been taken on an inter-state basis for conservation of tigers in the country where overall 1,400 big cats are left as per latest census conducted by Wildlife Institute of India (WII).

In the Corbett Tiger reserve, there are over 167 endangered species left and there have been reports of big cats spilling over from the core area to the human habitat, resulting in man-animal conflict.