Three villages of Mancherial to be relocated to attract tigers to Kawal

Three villages in the core area of the Kawal Tiger Reserve are set to be relocated as part of efforts to improve tiger habitat. Forest officials also plan to strengthen prey availability, curb poaching and prevent encroachments to attract more tigers

Mancherial: Three villages in the district are set to be relocated from the Kawal Tiger Reserve as part of efforts to attract tigers to the reserve.

Forest officials said Mallyal, Allinagar and Dongapalli villages, located in the core area of the reserve in Mancherial district, had been identified for relocation. The relocation process has been under way for a long time, and the issue recently came up for discussion among senior officials of the department.

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Officials plan to improve the quality of the habitat through proper management of existing grasslands and the creation of new grasslands at other locations. The authorities are also planning to release animals that could serve as a sufficient prey base for tigers in the reserve. They are planning to procure deer from Hyderabad and other parts of the State. They said they were taking steps to curb poaching and prevent poachers from using modern tools as part of tiger conservation efforts.

According to the officials, a tiger census was carried out recently, and they were waiting for the Tiger Census 2026 report to be released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They hoped that the herbivore population would increase because of the measures being adopted.

The authorities noted that most of the recommendations made in the *Status of Tigers, 2022* report had been implemented. However, the reserve has failed to attract tigers permanently. It witnessed the migration of tigers from Maharashtra during winter, but no tiger has made Kawal its permanent home.

Meanwhile, efforts are set to be intensified to prevent encroachment on forest land in the core area by holding consultations with villagers. The officials said encroachment of forest land was one of the major challenges preventing tigers from entering the reserve. They added that they would not forcibly evict the dwellers but would instead resolve the issue through negotiations.