Palamu reserve brings sambars to increase tiger prey
Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR) authority has brought 16 sambar deers 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 objection on shifting of the animals from zoo to wild and termed it a gross of violation of wildlife norms.
PTR authority has been worried over dwindling population of the tiger in the reserve, which has already declined to three. Extinction of Sambar 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 and escalate their numbers.
The zoo officials said altogether 16 sambhars, including 11 females and five males, have been provided to the tiger reserve. Two more male sambhars will be sent this month, a zoo officials said.
The Birsa zoo had been facing an upkeep issue with over population of the species. 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 sambar 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 folbase low the guidelines and protocols of international union for conservation of nature (ICUN) before shifting.”
He alleged that the authority neither followed the guideline nor it got required 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 blamed.
M.P Singh, chief conservator of forest cum field director for PTR, said that Sambars were shifted to the reserve area following the standard operating protocol. The central zoo authority had approved the protocol of shifting deer and sambar from zoo with certain conditions in 2012.
This is not the first case where zoo animals were shifted to 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.