News Update: A tigress T-114 died in February last year in Ranthambore National Park. After her demise, the cubs were relocated to Abheda Biological Park in Kota from Ranthambore National Park. Now those cubs are going to be released into the wild.
Next month, the forest department is going to release two orphaned tiger cubs from captivity into the forest after getting the approval from National Tiger Conservation Authority. The cubs are approximately 15 months old and authorities are planning to release them after June 4.
Their mother died last year in February and after that, they were taken for proper care in captivity. Now they are big enough to take care of themselves so they are being relocated into the wild.
An official from the forest said that the initial proposal was to release both cubs in different reserves. The female cub will be released in Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve and the male cub is going to be released in Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve. He further added that when they were at a biological park, they were maintained in a natural ecosystem with zero human interference and their activities were monitored by veterinarians and experts through CCTV cameras.
About this release, experts are saying that “During the relocation, it will be ensured that these cubs will be relocated in a forest area with an adequate prey base. Initially, it will be easier for the cubs to hunt fawns or smaller animals.” He further added “As per protocol, the relocation will initially occur in a soft enclosure.’’
Another expert said that the cub is considered a sub-adult when it reaches 18 months old and between 18 to 22 months of age, cubs separate from their mothers. The cubs start hunting with their mother at around 15-16 months but in some special cases, they commence hunting early. So, a committee member said that the release of the cubs would be determined based on the recommendations from the experts.
