Rishikesh (U'khand), Feb 27 (PTI) A rescue centre built for the treatment of wildlife at Gujjar Padav in the Dhela range of the Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR) will be expanded by increasing the number of enclosures for big cats, an official said on Thursday.

A proposal in this regard has been sent to senior forest department officials, CTR Director Saket Badola said.

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The proposal is for building 16 enclosures each for tigers and leopards at the rescue centre, he said.

At present, there are 10 enclosures each for tigers and leopards at the centre, which has emerged as a lifeline for old and injured wildlife.

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So far, 11 tigers have been treated at the centre, which became operational in 2021.

Of the 11 tigers, eight were released back into the forest after their recovery. The tigers that could not be released back into the forest were sent to the Dehradun Zoological Park, Badola said.

A leopard died during treatment at the rescue centre, while two were released back into the forest after treatment.

Two domesticated elephants of the reserve were also given medical care at the centre, Badola said.

Now, both the elephants are patrolling the core area of the forest, he added.

Badola said due to a continuous improvement in conservation activities all over Uttarakhand, including at the CTR, the number of wild animals, especially tigers, is increasing. With the increase in numbers, the chances of fights for supremacy among male tigers also increase and the rescue centre is the only resort for the injured tigers, the official said, adding that therefore, increasing the capacity of the enclosures meant for big cats is the need of the hour.

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