The Odisha government has set up a Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF) to ensure the safety and security of the big cats in Odisha’s Satkosia reserve.

Chief conservator of forest and wildlife warden, Susanta Nanda, wrote on X: “The second one in Odisha for guarding our tiger reserve… The Special Tiger Protection Force comes up in Satkosia as per the mandate of NTCA to take on the poachers. Wish them all the best as it is going to be a hard and arduous task for our green soldiers in days to come.”

At present, Satkosia has no tigers. However, the Odisha government plans to relocate 15 tigers from Tadoba Reserve in Maharashtra to Satkosia in five years in phases,
officials said.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has visited the reserve site and examined the rich prey base of the Satkosia Tiger Reserve. The NTCA has set 15 conditions and asked the Odisha government to comply with them before the resumption of the tiger translocation programme.

Former army officials have been roped in for the Special Tiger Protection Force. The attire of the team is black. Prior to the arrival of the tigers, the STPF personnel will start working towards the protection of other wild animals.

They will be given technical and infrastructural support to keep a round-the-clock vigil at the Satkosia Tiger Reserve. They will be assisted by the forest department officials and locals from the adjoining villages.

Sniffer dogs will also be deployed to assist the STPF. The members will not only carry out targeted operations to deal with the poachers but they will
also build up their ground intelligence.

Earlier, the state government’s bid to translocate two tigers from Madhya Pradesh’s Kanha Tiger Reserve to Satkosia in 2018 was foiled. While a tiger named Mahavir was killed after it got trapped in snares, another big cat named Sundari was sent back to Madhya Pradesh after keeping it in an enclosure in the Satkosia reserve for 28 months.