29 March,2022 08:16 AM IST | Mumbai | Ranjeet Jadhav
On February 12, the tigress was captured and taken to Chandrapur TTC. Pic/SGNP
The Sanjay Gandhi National Park now has a new member. A 2-2.5-year-old tigress, who has been brought here from Chandrapur Transit Treatment Centre (TTC). The tigress will join the other big cats at the SGNP's captive tiger safari section soon. While the official name of the tigress is T24-C2, the animal-keeper staff at Chandrapur TTC call her Srivalli.
Superintendent of Tiger and Lion Safari and Range Forest Officer (RFO) Vijay Barabde said, "We started our 950-km journey from Chandrapur Transit Treatment Center (TTC) on Sunday and reached SGNP on Tuesday. We travelled between sunset to sunrise so that the animals do not get stressed due to the summer heat. The tigress, T24-C2, is around 2-2.5 years old and has been currently kept in isolation at Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP). During the 72-hour journey, Dr Shardul Salvi, along with the SGNP team monitored the animal."
Dr Shardul Salvi and the SGNP team monitored her during the journey. Pic/SGNP
"The tigress weighs 105 kg. Once it gets acclimatised, it will be shifted to the enclosures close to the other tigers at the SGNP," said Barabde. T24-C2 was born inside Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR). She soon moved to the Moharli range of the TATR to establish her territory, during which she killed cattle. Later, in February this year, human-animal conflicts were reported and two people were killed by the tigress. On February 12, the tigress was captured and taken to the Chandrapur TTC.
The captive tiger and lion safari at the SGNP was started in the 1990s and it has since been one of the important tourist attractions for people visiting the national park. The SGNP's captive tiger safari is hugely popular among visitors. The biggest draws are the park's captive lions and tigers. Tourists coming to the park are taken in minibuses for the safari where the captive tigers are released in a huge area that is fenced from all sides. According to Barabde, at present, there are a total of three female tigers named Lakshmi, 13, Durga, 2, Bijali, 12, and two male tigers called Bajarang, 7, and Bajirao, 8.
105kg
The weight of the tigress
