Tiger Johnny likely to get mate without competition from other tigers

Johnny reportedly tried to approach the female tiger but went back to the forests of Narnoor mandal for unknown reasons. It killed cattle at Chorgaon village in Narnoor mandal on Monday

Adilabad/Kumram Bheem Asifabad: A male tiger, popular as Johnny, from Maharashtra, who has been on a quite long journey in search of a female companion, is likely to easily realise his dream of meeting his mate without facing much competition from other male tigers in the region.

“The male tiger is following a female tiger residing in the Kerameri forests. The two tigers are likely to meet in the forests of Kerameri mandal, located on the borders of the two States. The habitat is conducive for mating of tigers,” Adilabad District Forest Officer Prashant B Patil told ‘Telangana Today.’

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Johnny reportedly tried to approach the female tiger but went back to the forests of Narnoor mandal for unknown reasons. It killed cattle at Chorgaon village in Narnoor mandal on Monday. It was sighted while crossing a road at Laltekdi village in Utnoor mandal late on Sunday night. It tried to kill cattle at Rajulaguda and Chanduri villages in Utnoor mandal.

Originally belonging to Painganga wildlife sanctuary spread in both Nanded and Yavatmal district of neighboring Maharashtra, Johnny had drifted towards Boath in Adilabad in the third week of October.

It then strayed into the forests of Kuntala, Sarangapur and Mamada mandals before stepping in the forests of Utnoor, triggering panic among locals. It has travelled around 350 km so far.

According to forest officials, the female tiger has been living in the forests of Kerameri mandal for two months. It too killed cattle in the forests of Kerameri on Monday.

The cow belonged to Sidam Kannirao from Sungapur village in Jainoor mandal. The tiger is learnt to be moving towards the borders of Maharashtra and Telangana.

Meanwhile, a male migrant tiger named S-12 of Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Chandrapur of Maharashtra has been moving in the forests of Tiryani mandal for the last few days.

It entered the forests from Kasipet in Mancherial recently. However, pugmarks of the tiger could not be recorded as it was wandering in the hilly areas of the region. Officials said S12 however did not pose a challenge to Johnny’s chances of meeting the female tiger.

Officials said that forests of Kumram Bheem Asifabad district were being inhabited by around 10 tigers. Of them, at least two were females. Male migrant tigers can effortlessly meet the tigresses and nurture families in the forests of the region. A tigress named S-13 had delivered three cubs in the Kaghaznagar forest division in 2022.