Maharashtra gets its fifth tiger reserve

FILE - In this June 2, 2004 file photo, a Bengal tiger cools off in a small pond of water at Van Vihar National Park in Bhopal. Maharashtra, a western Indian state, on Tuesday, May 22, 2012 declared war on animal poaching by sanctioning its forest guards to shoot hunters on sight in an effort to curb rampant attacks against tigers, elephants and other wildlife. About half of the world's estimated 3,200 tigers are in dozens of Indian reserves set up since the 1970s. (AP Photo/Prakash Hatvalne, File)

Maharashtra will soon have its fifth tiger reserve in Nagzira following approval from the National Tiger Conservation Authority, a senior official said in Mumbai.

The Nagzira tiger reserve — between Bhandara and Gondia districts — would be home to surplus tigers from Tadoba, Principal Secretary (Forests) Praveen Pardeshi told reporters in Mumbai.

He said there are already four tiger reserves in Melghat, Tadoba, Pench and Sahyadri located in western Maharashtra.

“The tigers which wander outside their territory from Tadoba would go in Nagzira-Navegaon tiger reserve,” Mr. Pardeshi said.

Earlier, the area of Nagzira sanctuary was 150 sq km while that of Navegaon National Park was of 130 sq km. “We increased it to 700 sq km to form a new tiger reserve,” he added.

“In Nagzira alone there are around twenty tigers whereas in Tadoba there are more than 100 tigers,” the official said.

The State government has already issued a notification on the new tiger reserve.