Uttarakhand government to form a Special Tiger Force (STF) for Corbett Tiger Reserve

The Uttarakhand government has decided to form a Special Tiger Force (STF) for Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR). The force will have 85 posts & will help serve as the much needed second layer of protection for the big cat at the CTR. The STPF will be effective in checking illegal human intrusion into the reserve through villages located on its fringes. The decision was taken by the State Cabinet in line with Government of India (GoI) guidelines for providing 3-tier protection to tigers at reserves. The first layer of protection is provided in the inner range by beat level forest guards through regular patrols. The second layer of protection is what the STPF will take care of. The third layer of protection comes from intelligence-gathering mechanisms in which forest, police and central intelligence agency personnel work together to prevent crimes like the poaching of tigers.