Keypoints:
- Last year, the Rajasthan government had announced a plan to develop a Bundi sanctuary as a tiger reserve in order to provide a second habitat to Ranthambore tigers as well as to boost tourism.
- The state government has received approval from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) in order to get its 4th tiger reserve in the Bundi.
On Wednesday, The officials who are aware of the matter have said that Rajasthan is all set to get its 4th tiger reserve in the Bundi as the National Tiger Conservation Authority have given a go ahead to set it up.
Mohan Lal Meena, the Chief wildlife warden, has said that NTCA’s technical committee has approved the proposal to convert Ramgarh Vishdhari Sanctuary in Bundi. The sanctuary is spread across 1,071 sq km, into a tiger reserve. In this regard, the state will soon get a notification, he added.
Officials have also said that a 302 square km area in the proposed tiger sanctuary will be kept aside as critical habitat for big cats. The rest of the area will be a buffer zone.
Last year, the Rajasthan government had announced a plan to develop the Bundi sanctuary as a tiger reserve in order to provide a second habitat to the Ranthambore tigers as well as to boost tourism.
The Ranthambore Tiger Reserve is located in Sawai Madhopur in Rajasthan, Alwar’s Sariska Tiger Reserve, and the Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve in Kota is home to 100 big cats.
Another forest official has said that the NTCA is expected to send a committee in order to review the Bundi sanctuary. The population of big cats in the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve is increasing and they require more space, he added. By upgrading the Bundi sanctuary, the space crunch could be resolved. Earlier, it was a natural habitat for tigers.
Meena has said that after the approval from the NTCA, the tigers from Ranthambore could be translocated to the new sanctuary. Officials hope to connect the Ranthambore to Ramgarh and Mukundra.
Meena said that, “To strengthen the prey base, the state has already approved shifting of chital (spotted deer) from Ghana Bird Sanctuary (Karauli) to Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve, Keoladeo National park and Ramgarh Vishdhari.”
An official has said that the fourth proposed sanctuary has been known as a breeding place for tigers. The 1985 census says that there were nine tigers there. Since 2013, at least three cats have strayed out of Ranthambore to Ramgarh. He also added that the tigers are migrating there naturally.
