Tigress ‘Chanda’ renamed ‘Tara’ after 900km journey to Sahyadri Tiger Reserve

KOLHAPUR: The much awaited and anticipated arrival of Tigress 'Chanda' from Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve took place on Friday early morning in Sahyadri Tiger Reserve after covering a distance of over 900kms for nearly 27 hours in a Wildlife Rescue vehicle.

The tigress for her acclimatization has been soft released in an one hectare enclosure in core zone area of Chandoli National Park, in Sahyadri Tiger Reserve. A 'radio collar' has been fitted around her neck. This Tigress has been officially code named as STR T4 and given a new name as 'Tara' inspired by Chhatrapati Tararani. The earlier male Tigers in STR code named as STR T1, STR T2 and STR T3 are already named as Senapati, Subedar and Baji by the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve officials.

The tigress Chanda is the daughter of the famous Tiger from Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve 'Chota Matka'. Her mother 'Jurni' is the daughter of 'Waghdoh', the eldest tiger of Tadoba, who was also popular as Scarface. Accordingly, Chanda is granddaughter of Waghdoh informed the forest officials. After Chanda, the second tigress 'Chandani' will also be moved once Chanda is released into the wild and confirmed to have adjusted to the challenging terrain of Sahyadri.

The process for reintroduction of five female and three male Tigers into Sahyadri Tiger Reserve, an UNESCO's Natural World Heritage Site gained momentum after approval of MoEFCC (Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change) recieved on 12th September 2025. The project is part of the plan for the revival of the tiger population and genetic diversity in the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve, the lone tiger reserve in the western part of Maharashtra which is spread in Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara and Ratnagiri districts in an 1165sq.km area.The STR forest officials informed that the tigress, about three years old, was safely captured from the Khadsangi area of the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in accordance with all NTCA guidelines on Wednesday 12th November. After checking the documents, medical examinations, and fitness, the journey of Tigress towards STR commenced on Wednesday 10pm in a dedicated wildlife transport vehicle along with proper veterinary treatment.The Tigress arrived in Chandoli on Friday, 14th November at 1:30am and then after carrying another medical and fitness examination, she was soft released in an enclosure made in core zone of STR.Speaking about the translocation of the tigress, Field Director of STR Tushar Chavan said, "The tigress will undergo acclimatization and observation before being released into the wild in the next stages. Operation Tara is a historic step for the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve.

The soft release of this tigress has initiated the scientific reintroduction program in the Sahyadris. Our team carried out the entire process with utmost responsibility and smoothly.

Under the guidance of WII, we will continue to monitor and restore the Sahyadris to a viable tiger habitat".For this 'Operation Tara', Wildlife Veterinary Officer, Tadoba Tiger Reserve, Chandrapur, Dr. R. S. Khobragade, led the operation to ensure the health of the tigress. Field Director Tushar Chavan, Divisional Forest Officer Snehalata Patil, Assistant Conservator of Forests Sandesh Patil, Assistant Conservator of Forests Babasaheb Hake, Range Forest Officer for Chandoli Rishikesh Patil, RFO Amba Pradeep Kokitkar, RFO Dhebewadi Kiran Mane, RFO Mobile Team Sangram Godse, Honorary Wildlife Warden Rohan Bhate, Wildlife Researcher Akash Patil and all other staff played a valuable role.