No tiger found in Panna Tiger Reserve, MP govt admits
PTI 13 July 2009, 04:20pm IST
BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh government admitted in the State Assembly that no tiger was found in the Panna Tiger Reserve during a survey conducted in this May by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
This was stated by the Madhya Pradesh minister of state for forest, Rajendra Shukla in a written reply to a calling attention motion on the issue of dwindling tiger population in the state moved by Choudhary Rakesh Singh and others of the Congress.
The minister also said that the State government was examining a report submitted by the Special Investigating Team set up by the Centre which said that illegal hunting was also among the reasons for the falling tiger population in Panna.
Shukla said that a committee has been set up to look into the matter and suggest ways and means to ensure that such things do not recur. Its report was expected soon, he added.
He said that the process for re-establishing tigers in the Panna Tiger Reserve had already begun with the translocation of two tigresses and pointed out that permission for translocating four more tigers/tigresses had been sought from the Centre.
The Minister said that the State government agreed with the concern expressed by members and pointed out that all efforts would be made for protection of tigers and other forest animals.
