Seven months after two tigresses were shifted to Panna, Madhya Pradesh forest officials have finally found a suitable tiger in the Pench reserve to be translocated to Panna.

The forest officials had identified a tiger in Bandhavgarh recently but the translocation was stopped when experts warned that it could belong to the same gene pool as one of the tigresses shifted in March.

The Pench tiger, around two-and-a-half years, was spotted some time ago. A team of the Wildlife Institute of India reached Pench on Saturday to facilitate the translocation in keeping with the National Tiger Conservation Authority’s protocol.

“The male is yet to establish its territory so locating it would take some time,” Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) R S Negi told The Indian Express. He said no deadline could be set for the translocation because the tiger keeps shifting its position to escape the dominant males in established territories. Though two males had been identified in Bandhavgarh, Negi said, the translocation was stopped after experts warned against it. He however, said the option was still open. “WII report on genetic compatibility of the Bandhavgarh tiger is awaited,” Negi said.

After tigers became extinct in Panna, one tigress each from Bandhavgarh and Kanha had been shifted there earlier this year.