File picture of a CCTV footage of the tiger

Bhubaneswar, Dec. 30: The tiger, which had strayed into the Nandankanan zoo, would be released into a natural habitat in the Similipal Tiger Reserve.

Though the state government was initially planning to release the big cat in the Satkosia Tiger Reserve, the decision was changed after authorities of the Satkosia Tiger Reserve showed unwillingness following destruction of a large number of trees after Phailin.

Chief wildlife warden B.P. Singh said the National Tiger Conservation Authority had given a nod to the state government to release the big cat to its natural habitat. “We will seek the formal approval of the Union ministry of environment and forests to release the tiger in the Similipal Tiger Reserve. An expert team will visit the tiger reserve and decide the location where the big cat will be freed,” said Singh.

The decision to release the tiger in Similipal was based on certain advantages, including overall tiger population and good prey base, as compared to the Satkosia Tiger Reserve. “The Similipal Tiger Reserve is one of the largest tiger reserves in the country and its prey base along with dense forest would be definitely conducive for the tiger,” said a senior forest official.

In November, the field director of Satkosia had shot off a letter to the chief wildlife warden, expressing apprehension about its move to relocate the wild cat into the Satkosia Tiger Reserve citing lack of manpower and Phailin that had led to uprooting of more than 30,000 trees causing damage to the tiger habitation.

The six-year-old male tiger, which had been roaming around the zoo since March, strayed into the zoo for the second time on June 23. Before that, the wild cat had escaped from an off-exhibit enclosure of the Nandankanan zoo by scaling an iron fence of 18 feet on May 31. At present, the tiger is staying in an off-exhibit enclosure.

However, the state government is yet to decide whether to strap a radio collar on the big cat before releasing it into the natural habitat.

“We have been demanding the release of the tiger into natural forest, but the authorities must radio collar the animal to keep a tab on its movement,” said member secretary of the People for Animal Sanjib Kumar Das.