Bhubaneswar: Forest and Environment Minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia announced that the Odisha government plans to bring five more female tigers to enhance the tiger population in Similipal Tiger Reserve on Tuesday.
Currently, there are only 40 tigers in Similipal and the government aims to boost this number by introducing more tigresses.
Just two days ago, a Royal Bengal tigress named ‘Yamuna’ was successfully released into Similipal after being brought from Maharashtra.
The Chief Conservator of Forests for Similipal explained that the goal of this initiative is to manage the population and promote healthy breeding among the tigers.
“Since 2014, there has been only one male tiger in Similipal, leading to uncontrolled breeding and the emergence of variations such as melanistic tigers,” he noted.