Nagpur: The young radio-collared tigress of Kolsa in Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR), that had dispersed 110km to Paoni range of Umred-Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary (UKWS) in December last, seems to have settled in Karhandla now.
This was the first such dispersal of a tigress in search of a partner and territory. For the last one month, the tigress is in Karhandla only and it was sighted by a section of tourists very recently. Earlier, it was sighted by tourists in Paoni in December.
According to tourists, the tigress was seen in Satighat lake area with a dominant male Charger, who has replaced Jai now. “The tigress seems to have mated with Charger,” a section of tourists told TOI.
“In the last three months, the tigress moved in and out of the park and finally is in Karhandla now. It is being regularly monitored, both physically and also tracked via satellite, by Wildlife Institute of India (WI) researchers,” confirmed Pench conservator of forest (CF) and field director Ravikiran Govekar.
WII’s tiger scientist Bilal Habib too said, “It is a good and scientific development. The tigress must have travelled 150-160km from Kolsa to Karhandla, but in last three months its overall movement might be quite long.”
Habib said during the three months, the tigress crossed Wainganga river twice and again returned. The tigress also explored Gothangaon area of Kuhi range and finally must have settled in Karhandla.
As part of WII-forest department study project, two of the four cubs — a male and a female — of Shivanzari zone tigress were collared on March 6 and 9, 2017, respectively, at Kolsa. The tigress had four cubs — one female and three males. The cubs were then 22 months old.
This tigress moved in the same corridor through which Jai, his offsprings Bittu and Srinivas regularly travelled. The female stepped out from Kolsa on November 30 last and reached Paoni in 24 days through Talodi and Nagbhid ranges in Brahmapuri forest division.
Now 3 years old, the Kolsa tigress first scouted Paoni where there is already a dominant tigress with four sub-adult cubs. Hence, its chances of settling down in Paoni were bleak. “The tigress settling down in Karhandla means there is scope and space too,” says Habib.
Presently, Karhandla’s dominant tigress Chandi has three two-month-old cubs. Besides, T6 in Gothangaon too has two cubs. “If the new collarwali delivers cubs, the number of tigers will go up in the park,” said tourists.
