Adilabad: While serious efforts are being made to increase the population of tigers in the Kawal Tiger Reserve (KTR), the number of leopards in the reserve has reached 80, pug mark and scat records reveal. Kawal Wildlife Sanctuary had been declared a tiger reserve a decade ago in 2012.
Forest officials say tigers are exploring the forests within the five districts of Telangana all along River Godavari. The big cats are entering the state through the existing corridor from Tadoba in Maharashtra via Kagaznagar in Telangana. A senior forest official said:
“All source population tiger areas need connecting corridors. Kagaznagar forests have become that source for tigers to visit Mahadevpur, Eturnagaram and Tadvai. They are also crossing the river Pranahitha from Tadoba Andhari of Maharashtra and entering into the Kawal Tiger Reserve. But they have not made the reserve their habitat. They have been so far returning to Tadoba Andhari and Tippeshwar tiger reserves.”
Forest officials of Jannaram say they have created more drinking water bodies and grasslands in Jannaram Forests Division that falls within KTR. This has resulted in an increase in population of herbivores in the division.
Forest officials are hoping that with abundant prey base and drinking water sources, tigers will soon become residents of Kawal Tiger Reserve. Towards this, forest officials are also considering relocation of villages located inside the core area of KTR. This will remove all vestiges of possible disturbance in arrival and continuation of tigers in Kawal Tiger Reserve.
Forest authorities are also of the opinion that incidents of human-animal conflict in Adilabad and Komaram Bheem Asifabad districts will come down once tigers migrate into KTR and make it their permanent habitat.
The number of tigers migrating into Telangana from bordering Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh has increased in recent years with increased tiger population in Tadoba Andhari and Tippeshwar tiger reserves of Maharashtra and Indravati Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh.
But tigers are yet to make Kawal Tiger Reserve their home even though, because of the favourable conditions, the population of leopards has increased in KTR.
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