Tiger Transfers Ease Pressure At Gorewada Rescue Centre

Nagpur: The overcrowded Gorewada Wildlife Research and Training Centre (WRTC) has begun shifting tigers to other zoos after receiving clearance from the Central Zoo Authority (CZA). Six tigers have already been moved in the first phase of the exercise.Gorewada zoo director Pandurang Pakhale said four tigers were shifted to Ludhiana zoo and two to Jamnagar zoo earlier this month. Paperwork is now underway to transfer one tiger each to Mumbai and Katraj zoos in the second phase.TOI had earlier reported that WRTC had stopped accepting new carnivores as the facility had exceeded capacity, with over two dozen predators housed there. The only recent exception was Bharat, the Asiatic lion brought in on medical grounds. The centre had also turned back a leopard captured in Sindewahi and routed through the Chandrapur Transit Treatment Centre last November.Officials said the transfers would significantly reduce pressure on the rescue centre. A proposal to build six new tiger enclosures, with a combined capacity for 24 animals, is awaiting govt approval.WRTC is jointly operated by Maharashtra Animal and Fishery Sciences University (MAFSU) and the Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM).Pakhale said the second phase of transfers is expected to be completed soon. "Paperwork is underway for shifting one tiger each to Mumbai and Katraj. The issue is that these two tigers were not marked for public display, which the zoos want. They are now seeking clearance for public display before the transfer can begin," he said.WRTC houses carnivores that are injured or involved in human-animal conflict. Some are man-eaters that cannot be released into the wild again, while others are permanently disabled and require intensive care.BoxLion Bharat's health shows no improvement Bharat, the four-year-old Asiatic lion shifted from Mumbai to Gorewada Wildlife Rescue Centre last week, has shown no signs of recovery, with veterinary teams continuing treatment for multiple health complications.Sources said Bharat is suffering from deep bed sores on both hips, partial paralysis, hair loss and trypanosoma infection. Though WRTC experts are trying their best to stabilise the lion, sources said the animal may have been shifted too late for effective recovery.Bharat had been brought to Mumbai from Sakkarbaug Zoological Garden in January 2025.