Ranthambore home to 62 tigers: Are they fighting for space?

Is it a war out there? Tiger numbers in the recent years have gone up at the Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan, leading to territorial disputes.

Jaipur, Mar 23: Is it a war out there? Tiger numbers in the recent years have gone up at the Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan, leading to territorial disputes.

The Ranthambore Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan's Sawai Madhopur district is now home to 62 tigers, the highest number in the park's history. In a written reply to an unstarred question in the assembly, the state government said the number of tigers in the reserve has increased over the years.

However, the number of big cats is more than the reserve's capacity leading to migration and territorial adjustment of weak and adult tigers. A report with the reply stated that seven female and three male tigers in the reserve are untraceable in the last five years. Referring to the assessment of wildlife experts, the government said nearly 20 per cent of tigers either die annually due to various natural reasons or migrate to other territories.

Villages have been partially relocated

The government also said that arrangements of safety and monitoring of tigers has been done. LPG connections have been given in villages located near the reserve to reduce the dependency on forests whereas villages Kathuli (151 families) and Bhid (139) have been completely relocated from the forest area. Bhimpura, Dangra, Unchi Gawadi and Kalibhaat villages have been partially relocated and the work is still going on and the procedure to relocate three villages of Kala Khorra, Talda Khet and Gadhi on priority basis is also proposed.

All images courtesy: ranthamborenationalpark.in

Park spread over 932 square kilometers

The Ranthambore reserve is spread over 932 square kilometers. The government also informed that 105 families from Kankwadi, Umri, Sukola, Dabli, Haripura, Kraska and Devari villages, which were located in the critical tiger habitat, have been completely relocated from the Sariska tiger project. Sariska is located in Alwar district.

A major wildlife tourist attraction spot

Being considered as one of the famous and former hunting grounds of the Maharajas of Jaipur, today the Ranthambore National Park terrain is major wildlife tourist attraction spot that has pulled the attention of many wildlife photographers and lovers in this destination.

The best times for tiger sightings at Ranthambore National Park are in November and May. The park's deciduous forests are characteristic examples of the type of jungle found in Central India. Other major wild animals include leopard, nilgai, wild boar, sambar, striped hyena, sloth bear, southern plains gray langur, rhesus macaque and chital. The sanctuary is home to a wide variety of trees, plants, birds and reptiles, as well as one of the largest banyan trees in India.

Lady of lakes

Last year in August, 19-year-old tigress Machli (fish), the oldest big cat ever known to have walked the wilderness and the most photographed big cat at the reserve died. Often seen hunting and playing around water bodies, which earned her the name Machli and titles like ‘Lady of lakes' or ‘Queen Mother', experts said her life was a distinct case of ‘evolution' in the behaviour of tigers, especially those in Ranthambore.

The Sultanpur female

Another popular tigress from Ranthambore is tigress T39, also known as Mala or Noor or the Sultanpur female. Her name comes from the decorative bead-like stripes on her body. She was born to tigress T-13 and fathered by T-12. In March and April 2014, she was seen with her second litter of three cubs. Noor is 6 years old and her son, T72, or Sultan, is from her first litter and is approximately three years old.