Sahyadri Tiger Reserve In Maharashtra To Welcome Eight Big Cats From Tadoba And Pench
The eight tigers--three males and five females--will be translocated to the STR in stages as part of a project to revive tiger population.
Published : September 14, 2025 at 6:46 PM IST
Satara: The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has given the greenlight to translocate eight tigers from the Tadoba-Andhari (TATR)and Pench Tiger Reserves in Maharashtra's Vidarbha region to the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve(STR) in the Western Ghats.
The translocation of the eight tigers—three males and five females—to the STR is part of the plan to revive the big cat population at the tiger reserve. The approval for the translocation of the eight tigers from the MoEFCC came on Thursday and will be carried under strict protocol and monitoring.
A letter by Deputy Director General (Wildlife) in the Union Ministry, Dr. Surbhi Rai to the State Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) M. Srinivas Rao confirmed the approval of the ministry for the migration of tigers to the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve in the Western Ghats. If the translocation poses a threat or endangers the safety of the tigers, the permission by the Union Ministry will be reviewed or revoked, the letter further stated.
Tushar Chavan Director, Sahyadri Tiger Reserve said that after they will first bring two female tigers to the reserve followed by the translocation of the rest of tigers in phases.
Why Translocation Of Tigers?
The translocation of the big cats from TATR and Pench was necessitated after the 2022 report of the tiger census red-flagged lack of tigers in the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve. The proposal went to the National Tiger Conservation Authority, which had approved it one and a half years ago. However, the NTCA had pointed out errors in the proposal on three occasions, which were fixed by the authorities thereby paving the way for the ambitious wildlife project.
The Only Tiger Reserve In Western Maharashtra
STR is the only tiger reserve in western Maharashtra spread over Satara and Sangli districts in Western Maharashtra and Ratnagiri in coastal Konkan besides part of Kolhapur. The tiger reserve comprises the Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary and Chandoli National Park and also touches the Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary. The STR is spread over an area of 1165.57 sq.km with the buffer of 565.45 sq km and the core 600.12 sq.km.
According to the STR website, the tiger reserve is very rich in flora biodiversity representing about 1452 Trees and 400 Medicinal Plants. The most common floral species found here are Anjani (Memecylon umbellatum), Jambhul (Syzygium cumini) Pisa (Actinodaphaone Angustifolia ). The genus Ceropegia is represented in the region by about 24 species of which about 10 are endemic to the sanctuaries.
The STR boasts of 33 species of mammals, 244 species of birds, 120 species of butterfly, 22 species of amphibians, 44 species of reptiles, 50 of freshwater fishes. Several new species have been discovered from the landscape. STR is home of four Hornbill species and many other endemic Birds. The breeding grounds of Indian River Tern are found in Chandoli NP and Koyna WLS.
The TATR comprises Tadoba National Park and Andhari Wildlife Sanctuary in Chandrapur district while the Pench Tiger Reserve is spread over parts of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
In the 2018 assessment, the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve was ranked 37th. However, due to effective changes in the area management in the last 3 years, the Tiger Reserve has jumped from 37th to 27th position among 51 tiger reserves, gaining a place in the 'Very Good' category. Since the establishment of the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve in 2010, the reserve has secured “Fair and Good” categories in the assessments conducted in 2010, 2014, and 2018.
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