Jaipur, Jan. 2 -- The Rajasthan Forest Department is preparing to introduce a male tiger from Ranthambore Tiger Reserve into Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve (MHTR) to strengthen its fragile big cat population, officials said. The move follows the successful relocation of a tigress from Madhya Pradesh's Pench Tiger Reserve to Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve in Bundi district. Forest officials said the proposal to shift the male tiger has received all mandatory approvals, including clearance from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). The animal is expected to be relocated to the Darrah range of MHTR within the next few weeks. After a period of acclimatisation, the tiger will be released into a forest landscape spread over nearly 82 square kilometres, a key step aimed at stabilising and reviving the reserve's tiger population. At present, Mukundra Hills has only one free-ranging tigress, Anvi, popularly known as Kankati, who was earlier translocated from Ranthambore. To further strengthen the population base, the forest department is also planning to release another female tiger currently housed in a five-hectare enclosure at Abheda Biological Park in Kota into MHTR. Once both the tigresses and the male tiger are introduced, MHTR's hard enclosure system will comprise two tigresses and one male tiger. Officials said this composition is crucial to creating conditions conducive to natural breeding and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the reserve's tiger population. "The relocation of a tiger to Mukundra Hills is a top priority at the moment. All statutory clearances are in place, and the movement could take place within weeks," a senior forest official said, adding that the department is closely monitoring habitat readiness and prey availability in the reserve. Kota has been at the centre of Rajasthan's rewilding efforts in recent years. In November 2022, the state carried out its first rewilding initiative when two tiger cubs-one male and one female-were brought from Ranthambore to Abheda Biological Park. As part of a phased conservation strategy, the female cub was later released into Mukundra Hills in December 2024, while the male cub was shifted to Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve. Both animals are currently being kept in temporary enclosures as part of their gradual adaptation process. Earlier, on December 21, Rajasthan marked another milestone in wildlife conservation by conducting its first inter-state aerial transfer of a tigress. A three-year-old tigress from Pench Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh was airlifted to Rajasthan and released into an enclosure at Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve the following morning. The move was aimed at strengthening tiger conservation efforts and improving genetic diversity within the state's tiger reserves. Officials said these coordinated translocation and rewilding measures reflect Rajasthan's broader strategy to expand tiger habitats, improve genetic health of populations and reinforce the state's position as a key stronghold for tiger conservation in India....