Sahyadri Tiger Reserve Maharashtra forest dept and RESQ Charitable Trust (RESQ CT) join hands to strengthen scientific wildlife management

Mumbai: The Sahyadri Tiger Reserve (STR), Maharashtra Forest Department, and RESQ Charitable Trust (RESQ CT) have entered into a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen scientific wildlife management, emergency veterinary response, population management and human wildlife conflict mitigation in the Sahyadri landscape, including Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary and Sagareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary.

Under the collaboration, STR and RESQ CT will work jointly on wildlife health and veterinary care, science-based wildlife capture and translocation, and reinforcement of emergency response systems.

The partnership includes the deployment of trained veterinary and technical teams, use of advanced technology and safe practices, development of post-release monitoring frameworks and delivery of structured training programmes for frontline staff aimed at improving operational readiness and field efficiency.

Both organisations will also support initiatives relating to population augmentation and strengthening of long-term conservation planning within the landscape.

Field Director, Sahyadri Tiger Reserve, Tushar Chavan, said, “Strengthening our wildlife management systems through science-driven planning, skilled technical teams and professional veterinary support is essential for safeguarding the biodiversity of the Sahyadri landscape. This partnership enables us to enhance our field capability, improve the quality of interventions carried out across the Reserve and ensure that every operation reflects the highest standards of conservation practice.”

Adding to this, Neha Panchamiya, Founder and President, RESQ Charitable Trust, stated, “The Sahyadri landscape is a rich biodiversity heritage of Maharashtra, and contributing to its conservation through professional support is deeply aligned with our mission. We are committed to strengthening STR’s efforts with scientific, welfare-focused and operationally sound assistance. We hope that our shared approach will lead to safer field operations, improved veterinary care and stronger conservation outcomes for the species and ecosystems that depend on this landscape.”

The first operation of this collaborative approach was carried out jointly by teams from STR and RESQ CT, who successfully translocated 79 Chitals/ spotted Deer (Axis axis) to Chandoli National Park over the past two days, marking an important step in ongoing conservation management within the Sahyadri landscape.