Tadoba officials heave a sigh of relief as 2 Katezari cubs traced

Nagpur: The Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) officials heaved a sigh of relief as two sub-adult cubs of Katezari tigress T31, which were missing after the death of their sibling, have been recorded on the camera traps. The mother tigress has also been sighted.
Even as Tadoba officers were lucky to trace the Katezari tiger family, the three 22-month-old cubs of Maya (T12) continue to go missing for the last three months. While one male cub is still sighted with the mother and is dependent, why the other three don’t need her support is surprising.
Ramgaonkar said, “In Tadoba, several male tigers have been frequenting T12 territory. The tigress was also seen mating with other males. With a high density of tigers in Tadoba, cubs disperse at an early age. We still believe the cubs must be there in the non-tourism zone.”
Officials were a harried lot after a 22-month-old sub-adult male tiger T31-C2 was found dead under mysterious circumstances on July 19, in Tamsi beat near Ghosri in Tadoba range. The sub-adult was one of the three siblings of T31.
“Though it was not a poaching case as all the body parts of the tiger were intact, we were puzzled as the post-mortem report was inconclusive. Though forensic test reports are awaited, it is quite possible the death may be due to snakebite as Russel’s viper was found creeping near the spot where the tiger was found dead,” said Tadoba officials.
The Katezari tigress had three cubs - two male and a female. As all the three siblings must be moving together, officials were worried about the presence of other two.
According to TOI sources, the male cub T31-C1 was recorded on camera on July 25 and July 26, while female T31-C3 was also recorded twice on camera traps once on July 19, the day of the incident, and also on July 25. The tigress T31 was also recorded on July 25 along with an adult male T168 was in the same area.
Talking to TOI, TATR conservator of forest (CF) & field director Jitendra Ramgaonkar confirmed the presence of the entire family. “Though we are monitoring the tigers, we feel relieved with the presence of the cubs, who were keeping distance with the mother and perhaps maybe at a dispersal stage.”
A section of wildlife veterinarians said, “Even if the tiger had died of snakebite, it would be difficult to detect as the carcass was 4-5 days old. Poisoning can also be ruled out as no animal kill was found nearby. In June 2020, two sub-adult cubs were found dead in the Mohurli buffer. It turned out to be a poisoning case as langurs were also found dead nearby,” they said.