Tiger population in Sariska touches 30; Ramesh says remarkable success story started much before 2014

The tiger population in Sariska Tiger Reserve, in the Alwar district of Rajasthan, hit its highest mark in three decades at 30 after two cubs were born to tiger ST-19.

The trio was captured on camera in the buffer zone of the park near Alwar on July 6. The forest officials said that the father of these cubs is male tiger ST-18.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot took to Twitter and expressed his happiness. He also tagged the picture of the mother and the cubs.

"New life in the forest. The good news of the birth of two cubs was received from Sariska. Now the number of tigers has increased to 30. The government is committed to the conservation of tigers which is important for the environment," he tweeted in Hindi on Sunday.

Former environment minister and Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Monday, July 10, said that 15 years ago, the tiger population in the Sariska Tiger Reserve had been reduced to zero, but the relocation of the big cats from Ranthambore and elsewhere to that reserve proved to be a "remarkable success story that started much before 2014".

Tagging the report of the tiger population in Sariska hit its highest mark, Ramesh said, "Just 15 years ago the tiger population in the sprawling Sariska Tiger Reserve had been completely wiped out. It had reduced to precisely ZERO."

Relocation was then considered to revive Sariska but it faced great opposition including from some tiger experts, he said.

"However, relocation from Ranthambore and elsewhere began and today there are 30 tigers in Sariska whose carrying capacity is at least 40. A remarkable success story that started much before 2014!" said Ramesh, who headed the Ministry of Environment and Forests from May 2009 to July 2011.

With inputs from PTI