Wild cat that travelled 500 km from Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary (southwest of Nagpur) has remained elusive by not returning to killing sites; activity to be monitored
The forest department officials involved in the operation. Pic/By special arrangement
After continuing the operation for three to four months to capture the tiger that had walked approximately 500 km from Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary in Yavatmal (southwest of Nagpur) to reach the Solapur and Dharashiv districts, the operation has now been temporarily suspended, as the tiger has remained elusive. For now, forest department officials have decided to continue monitoring its activity using camera traps and regular patrolling.
The tiger had arrived in Dharashiv in December last year. A senior forest department official involved in the operation said, “While monitoring the tiger’s activity, we observed that it is not frequently returning to the kill site, and so we have suspended the operation to capture the tiger. However, we are continuously tracking its movements using camera traps, and our team is patrolling the area where the tiger is present. The tiger is moving in and out of the forest. In the last month, there have been very few cattle kills by the tiger outside the forest, and it is also preying on wild animals inside the forest.”
As it is the peak summer season, the forest department staff have ensured that all artificial water holes in the forest—where the tiger is moving—are filled. Awareness activities are also being conducted near human habitations to prevent any negative human-tiger interactions.
In the second week of January, the Maharashtra Forest Department had decided to capture the tiger and release it into the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve, located 300 km from Mumbai and spread across Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur, and Ratnagiri districts. In the past, the Rapid Rescue Team from Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, along with Pune-based NGO RESQ Charitable Trust, had made all possible efforts to capture the tiger. However, the challenging terrain and the elusive nature of the big cat made the operation extremely difficult. The tiger has been roaming along the boundary of the Dharashiv and Solapur districts.
Earlier, mid-day had also reported how the tiger had been making kills but was not returning to the kill sites for three to four days, forcing the darting team to wait for extended periods. A total of 10–12 live CCTV cameras are currently active in the field to monitor the tiger’s activity.
According to researchers, the male tiger is the cub of tigress T22 from Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary and was born there in 2022. In January, some farmers in Solapur district alerted forest officials about a rise in cattle attacks. The department subsequently installed camera traps, which captured images of the male tiger. This is said to be the first recorded sighting of a tiger at the Yedshi Ramalinga Wildlife Sanctuary in Dharashiv district, Marathwada.
The male tiger, now about 2.5 years old, is believed to have dispersed from its natal territory in search of a new one. It has been moving back and forth between the Solapur and Dharashiv districts. This young male tiger, born in 2022 to tigress T22 in Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, has been dispersing in search of new territory.
2022
Year the tiger was born
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