Rudrapur, March 23 -- The Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change has sanctioned Rs.54.40 crore to six forest divisions around the Corbett Tiger Reserve to bolster tiger conservation beyond its boundaries and curb human-wildlife conflicts, officials said. The funding targets tigers that stray outside the reserve and aims to reduce human-wildlife conflict in adjoining areas. "A temporary rescue facility will be set up, along with procurement of cages and other equipment. At present, if a big cat is captured, it remains confined in a cage until being shifted to a rescue centre. With a temporary shelter, the animal can be housed more comfortably," said Himansu Bagri, divisional forest officer (DFO) of Terai Eastern Forest Division Under the Tiger Outside Tiger Reserve (TOTR) project, the Ramnagar, Haldwani, Terai East, Terai Central, Terai West and Lansdowne forest divisions have received allocations. These divisions lie in Nainital, Udham Singh Nagar and Champawat districts, along or near the Corbett landscape. The state forest department will implement the project till 2028, adopting a landscape-level approach that balances wildlife protection with human safety and livelihoods, officials said. Uttarakhand is home to around 507 tigers, including around 260 in the Corbett Tiger Reserve. The rest roam outside its boundaries, heightening conflict risks in non-reserve areas. Each division will get about Rs.90 lakh to establish temporary rescue facilities, procure cages, thermal drones, alert systems and other equipment for better monitoring and response, officials added....