The Wildlife India

Tiger population in India is going up with shrinking forest  cover that provides shelter to the big cats. This coupled with increasing human dependence on forests is leading  to a serious issue -man animal conflict. On the International Tiger Day , ThewildlifeIndia raises the issue of  rising graph of Human-Tiger  conflict. Urban area around Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Maharashtra is one such conflict zone with an alarming rise in the cases of clashes between big cats and villagers. In places like Brahmpuri, as many as 6 lakh people are vying for space in the presence of large tiger population. Presence of breeding big cats in a thermal power station and a coalmine operating right on the edge of TATR have made the matter worse. The situation has reached a flash point  and an immediate intervention with strong political will is required to maintain harmony. 100 Tigers, Fragmented Forest And  Human Pressure  Why is there an element of urgency...

Cheetah may be the fastest  land animal but the project to introduce the spotted cat from Africa to India moved even faster. And the speed with which the Cheetah project progressed left many wildlife experts awed and intrigued. With a political push, Cheetah has defeated Lion and the latter may, perhaps, never ever be able to reach Kuno national park , originally planned as second home to Gujarat’s pride. Finally, India inked an MOU with Namibia in July and may sign another with South Africa soon. However, the travel plan of Cheetah from Namibia to Kuno is yet to be finalized. Experts have termed it “ a vanity project ”. Cheetah is likely to reach Kuno in the winters of 2022. However, thewildlifeindia.com carries exclusive images of the  South African cheetahs to be translocated to India. Lion Loses Despite  SC Order In Favour Taking into consideration many factors including fear of an epidemic, the government of India in 1990s initiated a plan to find second home for Asi...

It’s a tragic story of a beautiful breeding tigress. Four years ago, the tigress was sent from Bandhavgarh national park in Madhya Pradesh (MP) to Satkosia tiger reserve in Odisha along with a male tiger to revive the population of big cats. But apparent mishandling of the first ever interstate tiger relocation programme ended up in poaching of the male tiger named Mahaveer. Sundari, the tigress, landed up in a cage in Odisha where she languished for three years. While she was being shifted from one enclosure to another, the governments of MP and Odisha were engaged in bureaucratic procedures  and passing the buck. Sundari, now about 8 year of age, is condemned to a smaller enclosure of 10000 sq feet in Van Vihar , an open zoo and rescue centre in the state capital of MP where she would spend the rest of her life. It is believed that the inter-state project was launched without proper preparations. The officials in Odisha also did not ascertain the reasons for  declining tig...

As tigers explore new territories in Panna national park, a national highway crisscrossing the jungle is preventing further expansion of tiger territory in the core area of the park. Moreover, realignment of the highway- NH39 - has been delayed over a year. There is also a state highway crossing the park and the cumulative effect of the two roads is devastating. They have violated the sanctity of the emerald forest. A recent study conducted by the PTR has revealed that about 200 sq km park area is affected by NH39 where 10 to 12 more tigers can find home Road or Road Block  There are two areas which hold potential for future rise in tiger population in the PTR, says 2022 Mid-Year review of the reserve. The first area is north of NH 39 and it passes through the core of the park crisscrossing about 15 kms . This area, nearly 200 sq km -includes core area of Madla range and Gangau Sanctuary North of NH 39, as well as buffer area of Panna buffer range) holds potential for future r...

  As the  threat of Ken Betwa Linking Project (KBLP) continues to stare Panna tiger reserve (PTR) , its tiger numbers  are “going up exponentially” and may touch “100 sooner than predicted”. Not only this, the big cat is covering those parts of the park as well where they were not seen earlier. Though almost all the green permissions for the KBLP are yet to be cleared, the government in Madhya Pradesh has started survey of the villagers to be affected by the proposed project, propagated as a game changer for Bundelkhand region by transferring “surplus water” from Ken River to Betwa to irrigate the drought prone region. Experts have contested the merits of the project and questioned the environmental feasibility.   Panna's Success Story In This Report  An interesting tiger study released by the field director of the PTR, Uttam Kumar Sharma,  talks about various aspects of the rise in the population of the big cats in Panna, the geographical regions whe...

This is another amazing wildlife story from Bandhavgarh tiger reserve . It has come from a young yet experienced Gypsy driver who took me around the jungle for safaris. In the past , mahouts would narrate such stories. But after the elephant rides were discontinued in national parks, these elephant riders have lost touch with people. They have been replaced by Gypsy drivers and guides. Many of whom spend almost 7 hours a day in the jungle and develop genuine wildlife knowledge. So Jitendra or Jittu, the Gypsy driver accompanying me narrated an interesting story of a tiger waiting to take revenge for her mother. The sub adult cub “7A” is ready to take revenge from his father “Chakradhara Male”. Why 7A Waits For Revenge  A little over 3 year of age, this handsome tiger was named so because of ‘7’ and ‘A’ marks on his face. “The tiger is growing fast and getting ferocious”, said Jittu,  “soon he will mark his territory”.  7A is moving in Tala and Magadhi. He is likely to se...

I have been visiting Bandhavgarh tiger reserve for a long time and like others saw the ancient caves in the Tala tourist zone of the park, famous for its tigers and the stories revolving around them.  A huge fort in ruins atop the hill overlooking the jungle is testimony to the glorious past. The rich historical cultural past of the park makes it all the more fascinating forest. Though the caves existed for almost 1800 years, a little is known about them. For years, they have been  abodes of tigers and bears among other wildlife. But now the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is exploring these dark caves with a golden past. First  detailed exploration by the ASI Knowing that the ASI was exploring the area for almost a fortnight in June, I too visited the forest to learn more about the caves built on the sand-stone hillocks of the Bandhavgarh Hills. There are around 42 caves in the region, which cover a length of over 5 kms. Wildlife tourists from all over the world ar...

  Barely a week before Bandhavgarh national park closed down in June for three months, a large number of wildlife lovers visited the park. Many of them returned disappointed as there was no tiger sighting while  asmall number of visitors was still lucky to have some wonderful “chanced sighting “of the big cat. Like the one in Tala range. Barely a week before Bandhavgarh national park closed down in June for three months, a large number of wildlife lovers visited the park. as she took mud bath for a while amd also quenched thirst before proceeding to meet her four 5-month old cubs hidden in a cave deep in the jungle. Rare tiger sighting happens during the monsoon when plenty of water is available in every nook and corner of the jungle and the green forest cover revives after a few showers diminishing the chances of tiger sighting even if it is sitting very close in the bushes.But the showers have left a magical touch in the jungle. Jungle Make Over   After the pre-mo...

Ranthambore tiger reserve never ceases to spring surprises.  In yet another amazing tiger image, the striped cat was seen eating a leopard. The big cat consumed it, caught it again from his neck and vanished in the bushes- absolutely stunning. All this happened in front of a camera. A  Benguluru based photographer got the opportunity to click the incredible images. Wildlife photography has always been a wonderful experience in Ranthambore. But what makes the park different from other wildlife destinations offering better picture opportunities. Are tigers in Ranthambore more ferocious or adventurous? Or there is some other factor that makes this jungle different ?  Let’s try to understand.  Cat Man Catches Two Cats On Camera Known as The Cat-Man, the wildlife photographer Harsha Narasimhamurthy shared his experience on social media platforms. He said that he got an opportunity while holding a photo tour. “Witnessed one of the most incredible natural history moments t...

Most of the tiger reserves in India are going to be shut down in the months of monsoon. Ever wondered why? This is the time when tiger gets rest from the horde of tourists, the vehicular traffic and the accompanied noise. The ionic cat retires deep in the jungle to remain in serenity- much needed break from shutter sound and phone photography. Few years ago, a study in Kanha national park and Bandhavgarh tiger reserve had revealed high stress among the tigers because of tourist traffic Impact of Tourism on Tiger  The study was conducted in 2015, the same year when the government of Madhya Pradesh decided to give only three months’ break to tiger to rest. It curtailed full one month from its yearly time table of shut down in forests to facilitate tourism. Before this, parks would remain closed from June 16 to October 16. In 2015, the government decided to stretch the tourism season and issued orders for the parks to remain closed for three months -June 30 to September 30. The same y...