Tiger collars removed after Chanda & Tara mark territories in Sahyadri reserve

Kolhapur: The radio collars of two tigresses, Chanda and Tara, translocated from the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve into the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve, were successfully removed after both big cats settled and established territories in the core zone of the reserve over the last five months, the officials said.Sahyadri Tiger Reserve (STR) officials said there is no need for the VHF (very high frequency) or GPS tracking as the tigresses have settled in the reserve. They said the tigresses would now be monitored through trap cameras and pug marks.The Tiger Recovery Project has been implemented since 2017 in collaboration with the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve Conservation Foundation, Wildlife Institute of India and the National Tiger Conservation Authority. The first phase of the project focused on increasing the number of prey animals, and in the second phase, approval was given for the relocation of tigers.It was decided that a total of eight tigers, including five female and three male, from the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve and Pench Tiger Reserve would be brought to STR.Following protocol, Chanda was translocated on Nov 20, 2025, and Tara was translocated on Dec 18, 2025, into the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve. Radio collars were put on them before they were released in the STR to track their location through VHF and GPS tracking.Their movements were monitored 24 hours a day over the past four to five months. According to information gathered from camera traps and radio collars, both tigresses have been roaming in the Chandoli region of the STR.Tushar Chavan, the field director of the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve, said, "It is clear that these tigresses have established their own territory in the Chandoli region and have completely adapted to the local habitat. It has also been observed through camera traps that male tigers — Senapati, Subhedar and Shiledar — are living in the same area. This has increased the possibility of breeding in the future. Against this backdrop, the radio collars of Tara and Chanda were removed on April 9 and 10, respectively, using ‘drop off' technology. In this method, the collar is automatically released by computer command and falls to the ground. Observation will continue through camera traps in the future."