Odisha is set to get its first tiger from Maharashtra under a big cat relocation project intended at improving the genetic diversity of the Tigers in the Similipal landscape.

First-Ever Tiger Relocation from Maharashtra to Odisha with Radio-Tracking

• Source and Destination: A female tiger from Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Maharashtra is being transported to Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) in Odisha.
• Significance: This relocation is the first such project between Odisha and Maharashtra, following the suspension of an earlier tiger relocation program between Odisha and Madhya Pradesh in 2019.
• Radio-Collaring: The relocated tiger will be equipped with a radio collar to allow continuous tracking and monitoring of its movement within STR.

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About Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR)

• Located in Chandrapur district, Maharashtra.
• Named after the god “Tadoba” or “Taru,” worshipped by indigenous tribes in the dense forests of Tadoba and Andhari.
• “Andhari” refers to the Andhari River, which flows through the forest.
• Linked by corridor connections with Nagzira-Navegaon and Pench Tiger Reserves in Maharashtra.
• Vegetation type: Southern Tropical Dry Deciduous forest.
• Contains two lakes and one waterway: Tadoba Lake, Kolsa Lake, and the Tadoba River.
• Designated as Maharashtra’s second Tiger Reserve in 1993-94.

About Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR)

• Designated as a Tiger Reserve in 1956; included in Project Tiger in 1973 and declared a Biosphere Reserve in 1994.
• Recognized as part of the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves since 2009.
• Forms part of the Similipal-Kuldiha-Hadgarh Elephant Reserve (Mayurbhanj Elephant Reserve), which encompasses three protected areas: Similipal Tiger Reserve, Hadagarh Wildlife Sanctuary, and Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary.
• Location: Situated in northern Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district, at the eastern edge of the Eastern Ghats.
• Tribes: Home to the Erenga Kharias and Mankirdias tribes, who engage in traditional agriculture and collect seeds and timber.
• Unique feature: The only place in the world where melanistic (black) tigers are found.
• Fauna: Includes leopard, gaur, elephant, langur, barking deer, spotted deer, sloth bear, mongoose, and flying squirrel.