Context: Tasked by the Chief Wildlife Warden, a committee visited the enclosure in the core of the Anamalai Tiger reserve (ATR) to assess the progress of the Forest Department’s first ever attempt at rewilding a tiger that was rescued as an abandoned cub.
Rewilding
- Rewilding is a conservation strategy used to promote biodiversity in ecosystems by reintroducing plant and animal species that have been driven out, largely due to humans.
- Bringing these species back into a certain environment can help struggling ecosystems self-regulate and return to their natural processes.
Chief Wildlife Warden
- The Chief Wildlife Warden (CWLW) is the statutory authority, under the Wildlife Protection Act,1972 who heads the Wildlife Wing of the department and exercises complete administrative control over Protected Areas (PAs) within a state.
- The Act entrusts the Chief Wildlife Warden to control, manage and maintain all sanctuaries in a state.
- The Chief Wildlife Warden is appointed by the state.
- Chief Wildlife Warden shall be the authority to ensure destruction, damage or diversion of wildlife does not take place in protected areas.
- The State Government shall constitute a conservation reserve management committee to advise the Chief Wildlife Warden to conserve, manage and maintain the conservation reserve.
Anamalai Tiger Reserve
- Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) is located on the southern side of the Southwestern Ghat Landscape in Tamil Nadu.
- It is surrounded by Parambikulum Tiger Reserve on the East, Chinnar Wildlife
Sanctuary and Eravikulum National Park on the Southwestern side.
- Anamalai Tiger Reserve was declared as a Tiger reserve in the year 2007.
- Flora Around 2500 species of angiosperms are found in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve, with several species of Balsam, Crotalaria, Orchids and Kurinchi.
- The reserve is rich in wild relatives of cultivated species like mango, jackfruit, wild plantain, ginger, turmeric, pepper, cardamom, solaipuli, nutmeg, cinnamom, amla, jasmine, drumstick, yams, rice, strawberries, and wild guava.
- Fauna: The reserve supports several species of endangered wild animals. There are 70 species of fishes, more than 70 species of amphibians, 120 species of reptiles, 300 species of birds and 80 species of mammals.
- In general, the wild animals of the reserve include Jackal, Wild dog, Indian fox, Tiger, Leopard, Jungle cat, Leopard cat, Smooth coated otter, Small clawed otter, Nilgiri marten, Small Indian civet, common Palm civet, Brown palm civet, Greymangoose, Ruddy mangoose, Indian Brown mangoose, Stripe-necked mangoose, Indian pangolin, Black naped hare several species of rodents and bats.
- Best Practices: Best Practices Innovative alert system for addressing human-wildlife conflict, fire protection, antipoaching strategy, immunization of nearby livestock, control over illegal ganja cultivation and smart patrolling using M-STrIPES protocol.
