India's big cat transfer plan hopes to restock empty tiger reserves

Embarrassed at having tiger reserves empty of tigers, India is launching a controversial plan to relocate some of the big cats to Sariska, a wildlife park where 13 of the animals have been killed by poachers in recent years.

The Ministry of Environment and Forests plans to take some of the tigers in the Ranthambhore reserve - one of the few with tigers left - and relocate them to Sariska.

'This is the first time anyone has moved tigers from one habitat to another anywhere ... but I'm confident we can do it,' said the ministry's Project Tiger head, Rajesh Gopal.

Since both parks are in Rajasthan state the habitat is similar and it is hoped the tigers will not be too disorientated by a new landscape.

But Ashok Kumar, of the Wildlife Trust of India, is not enthusiastic.

'Tigers are comfortable when they know the lay of the land, where to find prey and watering holes,' he said. Mr Kumar also believes the exercise will be futile unless the root causes of the disappearance of tigers from Sariska are removed.

About 12 villages have sprung up amid the ravines, forests and scrubland of Sariska. For the villagers, the tiger is a pest because it attacks their cows and buffaloes.