National Tiger Conservation Authority asks UP to radio-collar its tigers

LUCKNOW: Given the high incidence of the man-tiger conflict in the state, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has directed Uttar Pradesh to identify “potential” maneaters and radio-collar tigers to track their movement.
With tigers straying from forests and entering human habitations, mauling and preying on men, NTCA, in a meeting on February 28, directed the state forest department to study the animals’ behaviour and map their movement.The authority has said that if possible, the department must translocate aberrant tigers to reserves.
To begin with, the forest department would launch a high-intensity search for a maneating tigress from Bijnore. This tigress has killed and eaten nine people since December 25. As many as 80 cameras would be installed in the Najibabad division of Bijnore.
“On the basis of camera traps, we can identify other aberrant tigers also,” said the conservator of Moradabad, Kamlesh Srivastava.
Najibabad, a 344-sq km forest division, has 34 cameras to watch the movement of tigers but there has been no trace of the maneating tigress till now. A team of 60 forest department staff members and officers along with 15 volunteers including research scholars from Wildlife Institute of India and other institutes is tracking the tigress.
Officials confirm that fresh pugmarks have been seen. “No attacks have taken place,” said an official.