Madhya Pradesh Forest Department has also successfully translocated bigger herbivores like gaur and sambar, said the state's activists
Photo: iStock In a bold and path-breaking move, the Sri Chamarajendra Zoo of Mysuru has successfully translocated 40 spotted deer (Axis axis) from its facility in Ittigagud in Mysuru city to Pansoli range in Kali Tiger Reserve in Dandeli in Uttara Kannada district.
The deer arrived safely at the Tiger Reserve on February 21 (Wednesday) in good spirits and disappeared into the forest when they were released from the enclosures mounted on the truck for their journey from Mysuru to Dandeli.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), Wildlife of the Karnataka Forest Department Subhash Malkhed told Down To Earth (DTE), “It is indeed a rare operation, and the high level of proficiency adopted by the zoo authorities of Mysuru has adequately represented that the animals have not experienced fatigue or mortalities.”
To his knowledge, this is the first of its kind in South India. “This experience gives us more confidence in the mass translocation of herbivores in the future,” he added.
“Though translocations have happened in the past in small numbers, the number of animals (40) in this lot has no precedence. It is the principle that when herbivores breed excessively in captivity, they are translocated into their natural habitats. In captivity, the herbivores cannot be crammed in enclosures more than their natural need for roaming around, this is when the decision is taken to translocate them. They are usually translocated in low prey-density facilities. In Kali Tiger Reserve, the carnivores have more area but fewer herbivores. The herbivores will maintain their population, breed faster with surplus food in larger areas, and ensure their security of life. In Kali Tiger Reserve, such conditions exist,” PCCF Subhash Malkhed said.
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Preparations for this endeavour commenced three months in advance, with the deer undergoing crate training to prepare for the journey. Upon arrival at the Kali Tiger Reserve, they were accommodated in a specially designed 2.5-acre enclosed area for quarantine.
This period allows them to acclimatise to their new environment, while undergoing health assessments. Initially, the deer were fed a diet similar to that of the zoo, gradually transitioning to local vegetation.
“The translocation initiative serves a dual purpose: To increase the spotted deer population in the Kali Tiger Reserve and to contribute to broader conservation efforts in the region. Introducing these animals to their natural habitat aims to enrich the reserve’s biodiversity and ensure the long-term health of its ecosystems,” said the executive-director of the Sri Chamarajendra Zoo, D Mahesh Kumar.
Mahendra Singh Kachhawa, senior standing counsel for the Government India and a senior wildlife advocate in the Rajasthan High Court, told DTE that “it is indeed a good practice to translocate herbivores from a high-density area into a low-density area, but all wildlife heads bred in captivity in urban facilities and subsequently translocated may carry pathogens, including the Tuberculosis bacteria, which may affect the carnivores. This aspect cannot be overlooked when translocation has resorted in a typical surplus population environment of any herbivore to a deficit population facility”.
Though there are reports of large-scale translocations from Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Rajasthan, they were taken up over a longer period, but the Mysuru translocation event is the biggest so far that has been carried out in one massive move.
Madhya Pradesh Forest Department has also successfully translocated bigger herbivores like gaur and sambar, said the state's activists.
The Pansoli range where the 40 spotted deer have been released is part of former Anashi National Park, which is now the Kali Tiger Reserve and is known for its water and food for the herbivores. In the past, the same patch had grassland that was converted into forest areas by planting endemic species of trees.
During this time, the prey animals had escaped the boundaries of the national park and frequented the villages in the fringe areas, the predators followed them into the villages and there was frequent human-wildlife conflict. The forest department officials said that this was a fortification exercise that has paid off well. The grassland has expanded, and so has the canopy of forests, which provides enough food for both carnivores and herbivores.
Encouraged by the success of the Mysore spotted deer translocation, a few other large zoological parks are also looking at the prospects of translocation or, more intensely, at the exchange programmes of herbivores.
At the Shivaram Karanth Biological Park (Pilikula Nisarga Dhama), the surge in the blackbuck population due to conservation and protection norms followed by the Nisarga Dhama even surprised the wildlife experts. Today, the facility is known for its blackbuck population. The experts in the field feel that translocation could be taken up following the Mysuru model.
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