According to Telangana Forest Department officials, there are incre🔯ased instances of tigers moving into the state in recent years from Maharashtra even as there has also been a rise in the population of the big cats in the state.
The officials cite, besides better green cover and prey bases, spillover population of tigers from Tipeshwar and Tadoba (reserves) in Maharashtra among the factors💃 for migration of the tigers into wildlife areas of the state and Kagaznagar Fo🦹rest division in Kumaram Bheem Asifabad district in particular.
The officials further said a few of them🌼 are also making Telangana forests their home.
The officials said they are developing a lot of grasslands due to which herbivore population is growing and there has been an incre𒐪ase in tiger and leopard population also in the state.
A team of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), which took up evaluati༺on of the Kawal Tiger Reserve (KTR) and Amrabad Tiger Reserve (ATR) in Telangana last month had appreciated the good work being taken 🐻up in the KTR corridor area like habitat improvement works including development of water sources and grasslands and said it gives an impression that Telangana state has laid a red carpet for migrating Tigers from Maharashtra, forest officials pointed out.
Kawal Tiger Reserve (KTR) corridor in the state has a notified way connec𝔍ting Kawal to other tiger reserves in Maharashtra.
"There has been a rise in the number of tigers moving into the corridor area. So this has a good forested area and good prey base like spotted deer and sambar and other animals and is suitable as a tiger habitat. And then we have spillover population of tigers from Tipeshwar and Tadoba where their population is increasing and the excess population is now slowly moving towards Kagaznagar in search of territory,” a senior Forest Department of♛ficial told PTI.
"We try to provide all suitable habitats fo♌r the migrating tigers like grasslands, water bodies, and then prey animals and also protection. We will try to give as much support as possible with the idea that they should become residents here," the official explained.
Around eight tigers are moving in the corridor area, which is slightly high this year when compared to previous years, the official said adding they come and sღome stay back and some may tend to go back and then they make an appearance again.
"In the last five to six years we have seen that the tigresses have given birth in our area,” he said.
Now movement of tigers is also reported from new areas--Eturnagaramꦑ, Kinnerasani, Pakala and neighbo𒁏uring areas, the official said.
Asked about𓄧 the tiger population in Telangana, the officials said the numbers are improving and they were hopeful that it could be more than 26 (which is the last count of tiger﷽ population).
When tigers disperse from the source area and establish new territoꦆry, in the process sometimes there are situations where there is conflict between man and animals.
Tigers, in search of territory, are constantly on the move and during this period they come across some habitation, cultivated areas, cattle movement and people, and sometimes incidents of killing of cattle and sometimes attacks o꧟n humans are reported.
"We also try to improve the prey base by relocating the animals from are𒐪as where they are in excess like national parks and zoo parks. So we translocate them and release them in the areas where tigers are moving," the official𝐆 said.
A team of trackers also monitor movement of tigers and if they are found♓ moving near a hab🐈itation then local people are alerted to be careful.
Encroachments of for✃est areas continue to be 𓄧a big problem, the official said.
The process of rehabilitation of villages from the core of tiger reserves has begun and the government is confident of taking up more villages for relocation in the two Tiger Reserves, which will increase the availability of inviolate areas for wild animals🌱.
