Tigress trans-located to Panna tiger reserve

MANDLA (MP): Amid protests, a tigress was today airlifted from Kanha to Panna Tiger Reserve, to revive the big cat population there, forest officials said.

This was the second tigress to be trans-located in Panna, under a plan of the Madhya Pradesh forest department to revive the big cat population in Panna, which according to reports has only one tiger left.

Five days ago a tigress was trans-located in the Panna Tiger Reserve from Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve by road.

Since dawn, officials searched for the tigress - to be shifted to Panna in Kisli range of Kanha- but could not find it, Kanha Director R P Singh said.

"So, we searched for another tigress under our plan and after finding it tranquilized it before sending this 4-year-old feline to panna," he said.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (MP) HS Pabla said that the tiger population was 75-100 in Kanha.

About the protests by the hoteliers, tourists' guides and local people against the trans-location of the tigress, Pabla said that the trans-location would not affect the tourist influx in Kanha.

Tight security arrangements were made in and around the Kanha reserve following protests.