By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
After shifting five tigers, the Uttarkahand Forest Department is contemplating a move to translocate five more big cats to the western part of the Rajaji Tiger Reserve to augment their population in that area.
A 5-year-old male tiger was released inside a specialized enclosure at the Rajaji National Park as part of the translocation efforts on Thursday. The tiger, which was fifth in the translocation programme, was released in a specialized enclosure built in Motichur range of Rajaji Tiger Reserve. The tiger would live in this enclosure for four-five days before entering into the jungles.
Confirming the new plan, Corbett Tiger Reserve Director Saket Badola said “we are thinking of shifting five more tigers in the next phase.” A plan in this regard will be submitted to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), he said. Overall, there is a scope of shifting ten more tigers to the western part of the Rajaji Park, Badola said.
To increase the population of tigers in the western side of Rajaji Tiger Reserve, five tigers, including the one which was shifted on Thursday, have so far been brought to Rajaji from Corbett Tiger Reserve under the translocation project since the year 2020.
According to the latest estimates of Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Rajaji is home to 55 tigers, 51 in the eastern part and other four in the western part.
The Rajaji tiger reserve was formed after merging three wildlife sanctuaries namely, Rajaji, Motichur and Chilla, spans 1,075 sq km. It is spread across three districts — Haridwar, Dehradun and Pauri Garhwal.