Haldwani, June 22 -- Uttarakhand Forest Department is planning to translocate five more tigers from Corbett Tiger Reserve to Rajaji Tiger Reserve under the second phase of its tiger relocation programme aimed at strengthening the big cat population in Rajaji. According to forest officials, a proposal for the translocation has been prepared and sent to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) for approval. The exercise is expected to be taken up after the monsoon season. Rahul Mishra, Deputy Director, Corbett Tiger Reserve, said that the first phase of the programme has already been completed, during which five tigers were shifted from Corbett to Rajaji Tiger Reserve. "In the first phase, two male and three female tigers were translocated from Corbett Tiger Reserve to Rajaji Tiger Reserve. Now, under the second phase, a proposal has been sent to the National Tiger Conservation Authority. It is likely to receive approval after the monsoon," Mishra said. He added that, as proposed, two male and three female tigers will again be translocated from Corbett to Rajaji in the second phase. Forest officials said the translocation programme is part of efforts to improve genetic diversity and strengthen the tiger population in Rajaji Tiger Reserve. The relocation is also expected to help establish a more balanced tiger population structure in the reserve. Centre had approved the Uttarakhand tiger relocation project in 2016 and later a team of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) visited CTR and RTR and gave the nod to the project, said officials. The first tiger was translocated in December 2020 followed by a tigress in January 2021. The third tigress was shifted to RTR in May, 2023 and the fourth tigress in March 2024. The fifth tiger, a five-year-old male tiger, was translocated in May last year. In September 2019, a team from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) had visited Rajaji to conduct reconnaissance for the translocation exercise and had suggested a soft release of a pair of tigers in the reserve's western side....