Maharashtra tiger enters Kawal heart, applauding officials-Telangana Today

Authorities expect the tigers to make the reserve their home, given their efforts to create conditions suitable for their habitation.

Mancherial: A tiger was sighted in different parts of Nirmal district falling under the Kawal Tiger Reserve (KTR), triggering panic among the rural population. The six-eight-year-old male tiger, usually seen in Kinwat in neighboring Maharashtra, moved into the forests of Boath Mandal, possibly in search of a mate, in October.

It then drifted into the forests of Kuntala and Sarangapur mandals. He was spotted passing through Hyderabad-Nagpur NH-44 and entered Mamada mandal a few days ago.

“The Royal Bengal Tiger spent a few days and killed two cattle in Mamada forests before entering the heart of KTR on Friday. He could settle here if he finds suitable habitat. The core of the reserve has a rich herbivorous prey base and provides a safe landscape for tigers,” said a forest department official.

Authorities expect the tigers to make the reserve their home, given their efforts to create conditions suitable for their habitation. However, the core of the reserve has failed to attract a tiger in 2022. Tigers stay there temporarily at regular intervals, but are not able to witness a growth in the tiger population.

The 41st reserve in the country, KTR was created in 2012. The heart of the reserve extends over 893 km², the buffer zone extends over 1,120 km². The reserve recorded the poaching of two tigers in 2018. No tigers have resided in the reserve since then. However, a migratory tiger remained in the Kaddampeddur range for a brief period in 2022.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) in Tiger Status-2022 highlighted that no tigers have been detected in the reserve except a few individuals in Kaghaznagar.