Mayurbhanj, Sept. 17 -- The Similipal Tiger Reserve launched a massive grassland restoration initiative aimed at boosting prey populations and strengthening the wild tiger habitat, as conservation teams work to bring back open grasslands that once covered large parts of the area.

At the initiative of the Odisha government, the Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) has begun an ambitious programme to restore more than 500 hectares of damaged grasslands, with the aim of rebuilding key wildlife habitats and strengthening the food supply for animals, particularly the prey species that tigers depend on for survival.

Explaining the significance of the initiative, Prakash Chand Gogineni, Regional Chief Conservator of Forests and Field Director of Simi...