Efforts to relocate a tigress to Sariska tiger reserve from Ranthambhore national park are proving a real headache for the forest department officials and the scientists from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) Dehradun.

Trapping the tigress has become tough because the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) had clearly directed the officials involved in the process to trap and relocate only transient big cats and not to disturb those which have marked territory in the sanctuary area.

Transient tigers are usually in search of territory and as such are recommended to be relocated.

The department plans to relocate a tigress on Wednesday but all efforts to trap a young transient tigress have failed so far. A tiger and tigress were shifted to the reserves last year.

The efforts of the department to relocate a tigress in November 2008 did not materialise because a transient tigress could not be trapped.

Normally it is tough to trap a transient tiger as the animal does not have a fixed territory and keeps roaming. So far, the officials have been searching for a young transient tigress, outside the sanctuary area, for the past couple of days but no tigress has been trapped so far.

Several baits have been used to trap the big cat but each time the tiger eats bait and gives a miss to the officials, said sources.

Now the officials are hoping to trap a tigress in early morning on Wednesday and relocate it to Sariska.

RN Mehrotra, principal chief wildlife warden, said that efforts are on to trap a tigress and they expect to trap one by Wednesday morning. He said all other preparations have been made for relocation.

He added that catching a transient tiger takes some time but the officials are trying in this direction.

NTCA had directed the wildlife officials, during relocation efforts in November last year, not to disturb the tigers in sanctuary area as it would disturb their territory and irritate them.

Why the delay?
Trapping the tigress has become tough because National Tiger Conservation Authority’s (NTCA) directives.
NTCA has clearly directed officials involved in the process to trap and relocate only transient big cats.
It has asked them not to disturb those which have marked territory in the sanctuary area.
The officials are hoping to trap a tigress in early morning on Wednesday and relocate it to Sariska.  (Rashpal Bhardwaj/ DNA-Daily News & Analysis Source: 3D Syndication)