Sariska National Park received a tiger from the Ranthambore tiger reserve on Thursday, thus retaining its hope of growing its tiger population. The tiger shifted was selected after his DNA was examined using advanced scientific techniques in a bid to avoid genetic incompatibility that has been hindering Sariska’s relocation program until now.
In fact, it was the first time in India that such types of genetic studies were carried out in order to identify tigers apt for translocation. Two of the 12 scat samples sent from the Ranthambore National Park for DNA examination came out to be positive. In addition to this male tiger, a female tiger will also be shifted to Sariska within the next few weeks according to government officials. This female tiger has also been identified and its DNA examined. It was found that both these animals were neither too closely related to the Sariska tigers nor are they related to each other.
“This is the first time that we conducted genetic studies to select tigers for relocation,” said MR. Jairam Ramesh, the Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests. He continued, “Until now we performed normal field-level analysis. However, after our last experience, when relocated tigers turned out to be siblings, we decided it was best to approach this entire process in a scientific way.”
The news of the matching of DNA results of the Ranthambore scat samples gave new life to the translocation program since Madhya Pradesh government had refused to relocate any of its own tigers.
The Sariska reserve of Rajasthan was reported to have lost the last of its own tigers somewhere between the years 2004 and 2005 mainly because of widespread illegal poaching. In a bid to revive the tiger population in Sariska, the government therefore decided to relocate tigers from other wildlife reserves of the country. Between 2008 and 2009 three tigers (a male and two females) from Ranthambore national park, were shifted to Sariska. This attempt however failed as it was later discovered that the shifted tigers were siblings and hence cannot produce any offspring.
For more information about Sariska National Park browse http://www.indiawildliferesorts.com/national-parks/sariska-national-park.html
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