Tiger in Gautala Sanctuary triggers hope of attracting more big cats in future!

Rafique Aziz

Aurangabad, July 28:

Here is good news as the Department of Forest (Wildlife Division) is pinning hope that the tiger (termed as T3C1), which has arrived from Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary (Yavatmal district in Vidarbha region), is likely to make Gautala Wildlife Sanctuary it's home. The tiger's condition is hail and hearty and is staying in the sanctuary for the past six months. Meanwhile, the office of the Deputy Conservator of Forest (DCF, Wildlife) is maintaining secrecy over its new guest (also designated as Walker 2) for its safety, protection and to avoid man-animal conflict in panic situations.

Monitoring, patrolling ramped up to protect tiger

The DCF (Wildlife) Vijay Satpute said," Gautala sanctuary lies in the Satmala and Ajanta hill ranges of the Western Ghats, and administratively it is in Aurangabad and Jalgaon districts. We are on our toes since the sighting of the tiger. We had undertaken Capacity Building Programmes for the staff deployed at the sanctuary and the residents staying in the adjoining villages. The tiger is solitary, but the breed is very sensitive in nature. The team of experts are training our staff on various measures to be taken while on duty including monitoring of the tiger. On another hand, the villagers are apprised about the individual measures they had to take on spotting the tiger and the care they had to take to avoid untoward incidents. The motto is to conserve the species as well as to avoid man-animal conflict."

Satpute added, " The sanctuary has been brought under CCTV surveillance through 35-40 camera traps. There is a healthy prey base as the tiger is surviving on Sambhar, Blue Bull, and Wild Boar in the sanctuary. We have formed seven teams to monitor the developments. We are not chasing the tiger, but keeping track of its movement. We have ramped up the patrolling (on foot and through vehicle) on the campus. The range forest officers (RFO) have been instructed to collects the details on the tiger on alternate days. Moreover, as a safety measure, the visitors have been restricted from visiting core areas on the sanctuary (as the officials fear the tiger would be frequenting there)."

Secrecy on tiger's movement

According to reliable sources, " The forest officials were of opinion that the tiger would return in a couple of months, but it has not returned, in these six months. The secrecy is being maintained on the wildlife animal's movement to avoid any sort of harm to the tiger. If the poacher's got a wind of it then the life of the tiger would be in danger. The incidents of poaching are frequent in Vidarbha and Madhya Pradesh.

Satpute and his team spotted pugmarks and scat during foot patrolling on March 11-12, in the sanctuary. However, the confirmation about the tiger was made after seeing the camera trap on March 15. Two years ago, the movement of one tiger from Yavatmal district was also spotted visiting the sanctuary, but that big cat had returned to its native."

In search of a mate

According to experts, the density of tigers is decreasing in the Tiger Reserves of the Vidarbha region. Hence the tigers are straying in search of new and safe territory and their mate. If any tiger's biological needs are fulfilled then the wildlife moves around in 500 hectares area, if not then it travels an area of 1000 hectares. The life expectancy of a tiger is 15 to 20 years. A tiger attains adulthood in two and a half years to 3 years. Hence the local officials feel that the tiger will return to fulfil the carnal desires to Yavatmal and then either return single or with a female partner to stay and live happily in Gautala Sanctuary.

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It is our USP; DCF on toes

The tiger is staying here for the past six months and it is the acknowledgement of the adequate management of DCF (Wildlife). It also highlights that the natural habitat has been improved over the period of time or else the tiger would have had shifted the base or returned to its place. The pictures in the camera traps depict the health condition is fit and fine. If this animal returns or revisits, DCF hopes it will attract many more tigers at the Gautala sanctuary, in near future, said the sources.

The present age of the tiger is now two and a half years. The total area of Gautala Sanctuary is 21,000 hectares (or 260 square km). The sanctuary is looked after by three range forest officers - RFOs, 42 forest guards, nine foresters and 40 protection labourers. They are equipped with all safety measures including three patrolling cum protection vehicles, headgears and binocular lenses, it is learnt.

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First sighting of the tiger after the 1940s!

The tiger (T3C1) has arrived by travelling a distance of 350 to 400 km distance. Its adventurous journey started from Vidarbha’s Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary and ended in Aurangabad district’s Gautala Autramghat Sanctuary. The tiger would have walked through Pandharkawda in Vidarbha’s Yavatmal district, Umarkhed, then crossed over into Telangana and then back into Maharashtra’s Akola, Buldhana, Hingoli until he reached Gautala in the Ajanta mountain range, say the sources. Moreover, this tiger is the first sighted in our sanctuary since 1940. It is not been radio-collared, therefore, the officials cross-matched the stripe pattern from photos in Pandharkawda and got it confirmed. The images were also matched with the tiger database.