Jaipur: The first initiative of the forest department of releasing two orphan tiger cubs into forest from captivity has raised questions regarding their appropriate age for rewilding.
The two cubs were brought to Abheda Biological Park in Kota from Ranthambore National Park (RNP) following the death of their mother tigress T-114 in February.
Currently, the cubs are approximately seven to eight months old, and the plan is to release them into the wild when they reach 10-12 months of age. However, senior officials in the department said that nothing is conclusive yet as they don’t want to put the cubs under stress by making a hasty decision.
To oversee the cubs’ growth and make the final decision, a committee has been formed which will follow the guidance of the chief wildlife warden. The forest department has previously encountered two instances of raising orphaned cubs, but in both cases, it was done in the wild. A committee member said, “Both tigress T-15 and T-5 in Ranthambore left behind two cubs each after their death. They were successfully raised by the forest department. However, they were not shifted to captivity and were raised in the wild with increased monitoring. This poses a new challenge of when to release these cubs.”
An expert said that a cub is considered a sub-adult after it turns 18 months old. In natural conditions, cubs separate from their mother between 18 and 22 months of age. “With their mother, the cubs start hunting at around 15-16 months. In special cases, like previous orphaned cubs, they started hunting early. The cubs will only be released when all the experts in the committee recommend it as suitable. It’s too early to comment,” said another committee member.
A forest official stated that these cubs are in a natural ecosystem with zero human interference. The activity of these cubs is monitored by veterinarians and experts through CCTV cameras. Wildlife enthusiasts are demanding to shift these cubs to the recently declared Ramgarh Vishdhari tiger reserve as it is close to Kota.
Experts said, “While rewilding, it will be considered that these cubs are shifted to a forest area with an adequate prey base. It will be easier for the cubs to initially kill fawns or smaller animals.”
The two cubs were brought to Abheda Biological Park in Kota from Ranthambore National Park (RNP) following the death of their mother tigress T-114 in February.
Currently, the cubs are approximately seven to eight months old, and the plan is to release them into the wild when they reach 10-12 months of age. However, senior officials in the department said that nothing is conclusive yet as they don’t want to put the cubs under stress by making a hasty decision.
To oversee the cubs’ growth and make the final decision, a committee has been formed which will follow the guidance of the chief wildlife warden. The forest department has previously encountered two instances of raising orphaned cubs, but in both cases, it was done in the wild. A committee member said, “Both tigress T-15 and T-5 in Ranthambore left behind two cubs each after their death. They were successfully raised by the forest department. However, they were not shifted to captivity and were raised in the wild with increased monitoring. This poses a new challenge of when to release these cubs.”
An expert said that a cub is considered a sub-adult after it turns 18 months old. In natural conditions, cubs separate from their mother between 18 and 22 months of age. “With their mother, the cubs start hunting at around 15-16 months. In special cases, like previous orphaned cubs, they started hunting early. The cubs will only be released when all the experts in the committee recommend it as suitable. It’s too early to comment,” said another committee member.
A forest official stated that these cubs are in a natural ecosystem with zero human interference. The activity of these cubs is monitored by veterinarians and experts through CCTV cameras. Wildlife enthusiasts are demanding to shift these cubs to the recently declared Ramgarh Vishdhari tiger reserve as it is close to Kota.
Experts said, “While rewilding, it will be considered that these cubs are shifted to a forest area with an adequate prey base. It will be easier for the cubs to initially kill fawns or smaller animals.”
