The tiger, to be brought from Gorewada Zoo, was trapped after it strayed into a village
Mastani was brought to Sanjay Gandhi National Park in 2016. File pic
ADVERTISEMENT
Almost two years after the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) brought tigers Bijlee and Mastani from the Pench National Park, in order to increase its captive tiger population, the Park once again plans to get a male tiger from Gorewada Zoo in Nagpur, which was trapped after it strayed into a village in the Brahmapuri division. If everything goes well, SGNP would welcome its new member by the end of next month.
Permission granted
Confirming the development, A K Misra, principal chief conservator of forest (PCCF) of Maharashtra, said, "In December last year, the tiger had entered a village at Nakadongri, in the Brahmapuri forest division. It was trapped in order to prevent any untoward incident. Since then it has been kept at the Gorewada Zoo. I have given permission for sending the tiger to SGNP, where it will be kept in captivity and used for the tiger safari."
According to sources, the tiger had created panic in nearly 12 villages of the Brahmapuri division. Towards the end of December, it was captured following a five-hour-long operation. Thereafter, a seven-member committee was constituted to decide on whether the animal should be released in the wild or kept in captivity. As the tiger had strayed into the villages a number of times, the committee decided to keep it at the Gorewada Zoo.
Not scared of humans
A forest department official said, "During its stay at the zoo, it was noticed that the animal was not at all scared of humans. It always tried to get close to people, who gathered near its cage to take a look. The decision to keep him in captivity was right, because if released in the wild, it would have ended up attacking people."
Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
