Relocation of ‘Sundari’ may take longer; Odisha CM urged to ensure proper care of tigress

Bhubaneswar: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has shot off a letter to his Odisha counterpart Naveen Patnaik urging him to ensure proper care of tigress  Sundari,  currently kept in an enclosure at Satkosia, till its shifting to Kanha Tiger Reserve in the neighbouring state.

Expressing concern over the health condition of the tigress, Chouhan requested Patnaik to make sure availability of a favorable environment for the tigress till its shifting to Kanha Tiger Reserve.

In the letter, the Madhya Pradesh CM said tiger safaris are being developed in Kanha Tiger Reserve , Bandhavgarh National Park and  Pensh National Park in the state after permission from National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). Till completion of construction of the Safaris,  tigress Sundari will be temporarily put at Ghorela Centre at Kanha Tiger Reserve. However, since another tiger is undergoing training at Ghorela Centre, tigress Sundari will be kept at the centre after release of the former, the letter reads.

Hence, Chouhan requested Patnaik to ensure that the tigress is looked after properly in the Satkosia enclosure till that period.

Worth mentioning,  Sundari along with tiger Mahavir was translocated to Sakosia from Madhya Pradesh in 2018 as part of India’s first interstate tiger translocation project.

Four months after release into the wild, Mahavir was caught in a snare and died while Sundari turned hostile and killed two persons and a bullock at Baghamunda and Tainsi villages inside the reserve area. Later, it was tranquilised in November 2018 and kept in the enclosure at Raiguda in the core area of the sanctuary.