Sambars brought to feed tigers in Palamu
RANCHI: Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR) authority has brought 16 sambar deer from the Ranchi’s Bhagwan Birsa Biological Park, popularly known as Birsa Zoo, to increase the prey base for the big cats in the state’s lone tiger den.
Jharkhand minister Saryu Rai, however, has raised objections on shifting the animals and termed it a gross of violation of wildlife norms.
PTR authorities have been worried over dwindling population of the tigers in the reserve, which is already down to three. Extinction of Sambars is stated to be one of the major reasons for the decline.
The authority decided to increase the population of sambar in the reserve so that fodder could be provided to the tigers.
The zoo officials said 16 sambhars, including 11 females and five males, have been provided to the tiger reserve. Two more males will be sent later this month, a zoo officials said.
The Birsa zoo has been facing an upkeep issue due to over population.
The sambar population had reached to 36 against the enclosure capacity of 30 in the zoo.
The zoo authority, then, wrote the state forest department for shifting the surplus sambars to the Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR), which was later accepted.
State food and public distribution minister Saryu Rai said, “I had already raised objection and directed the PTR authority and forest department to strictly follow the guidelines and protocols of international union for conserbase vation of nature (ICUN) before shifting.”
He alleged that the authorities neither followed guidelines nor acquired permission from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
“If sambar population has disappeared from the reserve area, the PTR authority should have declared it. Releasing captive animals in the wild to increase prey for tigers is not a good idea,” Rai said, adding, I am not against increasing prey base for tigers but it should be as per the rule. No rule is followed in the tiger reserve,” he said.
MP Singh, chief forest conservator and field director for PTR, said sambars were shifted to the reserve area following the standard protocol. The central zoo authority had approved the protocol of shifting deer and sambar from the zoo with certain conditions in 2012.
This is not the first case where zoo animals were shifted to the wild in Jharkhand, he said. “In 2013, Hazaribag sanctuary had brought down deer and sambar from the Birsa zoo,” he said.
Singh further added sambars were not released in the wild but they were kept in captivity in the reserve.