Tiger from Maharashtra migrates to Asifabad forests

A tiger from the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra has migrated to the forests of Asifabad

Kumram Bheem Asifabad: A tiger from the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra has migrated to the forests of Asifabad and is currently residing here, cheering Forest officials and wildlife activists.

District Forest Officer Dinesh Kumar said the adult male tiger, titled P-1, from the neighboring State had drifted into the forests of the district, which was a corridor of the tigers, by crossing the Pranahita river in search of territory and prey a few weeks ago. He stated that it had settled in the forests of this region for now.

Dinesh Kumar said the movement of the tiger was being tracked with the help of CCTV cameras and trackers. He requested the public to avoid sudden confrontation and not to harm it. He added that awareness was being enhanced among the public over animal-human conflict and the role of the tigers in ecology.

The tiger had reportedly killed multiple cows in the forests of Kaghaznagar division in the recent past. Its movement, however, is panicking dwellers of forest fringe villages. A tiger named A2 of TATR had migrated to forests of Asifabad and killed two humans in November 2020. The district already has around eight resident tigers and five cubs.

Forest officials said the district sees the migration of the big cats from the wildlife sanctuaries in Maharashtra that were over-populated by tigers as they were territorial animals. They were entering the forests of Kaghaznagar and Asifabad forests and making the region their home, considering a rich prey base and conducive living conditions. Some of them migrate to the wild of Mancherial, Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Mulugu, Peddapalli and Warangal districts.

In 2021, a tigress named S-6 of TATR entered the forests of the district and gave birth to two cubs. Similarly, another tigress, K8, belonging to the wildlife sanctuary of Maharashtra too delivered three cubs last year. The cubs grew up and are now trying to enter the forests of Mancherial and neighboring districts in the quest to find new territory and food.

A tiger called A1 entered the wild of this district in 2019, while another tigress titled Phalguna drifted into the forest of this region in 2015. Phalguna gave birth to eight cubs in two litters over a period of time. Some of the offsprings were reportedly poached by wildlife hunters. However, the forests remain a safe haven now.