Plan to bring back tigers in Sariska park

New Delhi: A Royal Bengal tiger in Rajasthan's Ranthambore national park is all set to move to its new home in Sariska reserve.

Experts are making last-minute preparations for the journey soon.

The government has planned to reintroduce tigers in Sariska after poaching slaughtered them out of existence in the reserve some three years ago.

According to the plan, three tigers - two males and a female - would be moved in phases from Ranthambore National Park to Sariska tiger reserve.

"In the first phase, a male tiger will be moved by June 30, while a second tiger is to follow on a later date. The decision on the third tiger will be taken after that," said park director P.S. Somashekhar.

At present, "the two male tigers in Ranthambore have been radio-collared", a device which helps spot the animal in the wild, he said.

The government earlier said an army helicopter would be used to transport the big cats. The aerial distance between the two reserves is about 200km.

Experts say this would save the tedious four-hour road journey of some 240km between the two sanctuaries and help avoid exposure to scorching heat - the air route would take just 45 minutes. Ranthambore is home to about 35 Royal Bengal tigers.