Hindustan Times ST (Jaipur)

HC clears decks for shifting tigers to Mukundra reserve

- HT Correspond­ent htraj@hindustant­imes.com

Decks for relocating tigers to Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve (MHTR) were cleared on Monday when the Rajasthan high court dismissed a petition seeking ban on shifting of tigers from Ranthambho­re National Park to the tiger reserve.

Giving informatio­n about the high court verdict, Rajasthan’s conservato­r of forest GV Reddy said: “Although we are yet to receive the orders of the high court but the court has certainly dismissed wildlife activist Ajay Shankar Dubey’s petition.”

GV Reddy said: “Only after relooking at a copy of the order, we would proceed further.”

He said the shifting of tigers/ tigresses to MHTR has been given green nod by the high court with the dismissal of the petition.

When asked as to when the shifting of more tigers will be done, he said it might take another week or two.

On start of tourism facilities at MHTR, Reddy said starting tourism was not on priority now as the wildlife department wants first to shift tigers here so they can establish themselves at MHTR.

A bench of Justice Mohammad Rafique dismissed the petition. The activist had filed the petition against the shifting of the Tiger T-91 (now known as Mukundra Tiger-1 (MT-1)) to the MHTR in April this year for violation of the National Tiger Conservati­on Authority (NTCA) guidelines.

The petitioner had also sought ban on further shifting of tigers and also return of the relocated Tiger MT-1 to its habitat. MT-1 was caught from forests of Bundi in April which had strayed from the Ranthambho­re Tiger Reserve of neighbouri­ng Sawai Madhopur district.

Kota-based wildlife activist Brijesh Vijayvargi­ya expressed pleasure on the dismissal of the plea. “Ranthambho­re Tiger Reserve is overburden with Tiger population due to which several Tigers have lost their lives in the past so the high court decision would pave way for the swift relocation of the Tigers of Ranthambho­re to the newly constitute­d MHTR.”

MHTR is Rajasthan’s third tiger reserve formed in 2013 and first tiger was relocated there in April this year.

KOTA:

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 ?? HT FILE ?? A tiger in Ranthambho­re.
HT FILE A tiger in Ranthambho­re.

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