NTCA Tells Telangana to Hold Meeting with Maha, Chhattisgarh on Tigers
Hyderabad: The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has called for an inter-state coordination committee meeting between Telangana, Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh, challenging the standard explanations provided by the Telangana forest department for the disappearance of tigers from forest corridor areas in KB Asifabad district, especially the Kagaznagar forest area.
For over a decade, the Telangana forest department has attributed missing tigers to their possible return or movement to Maharashtra. This explanation is now under scrutiny as the NTCA urges an inter-state coordination committee meeting.
Earlier, in November 2020, when three tigers went missing following fatal attacks on two tribal youngsters, officials suggested the tigers might have crossed the Pranahita river, forming the border with Maharashtra. Similarly, when a young tigress named K4 disappeared, officials speculated it may have moved to Chhattisgarh, but no efforts were made to contact Chhattisgarh forest officials for verification.
Following the recent deaths of two tigers in Kagaznagar forests, including a sub-adult cub and a male, top forest officials expressed concern about the surviving tiger family members, consisting of a mother with three cubs, possibly moving to Maharashtra. There are fears for their safety as they had fed on the same cattle carcass as the deceased male, a senior forest official pointed out.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Head of Forest Force) R.M. Dobriyal confirmed to this newspaper the possibility of migration or even potential harm to the three cubs by other tigers.
In response to this situation, the NTCA has reportedly written to Telangana Chief Wildlife Warden M.C. Pargaien, urging the prompt convening of a committee meeting to enhance coordination for tracking tigers either moving in from Maharashtra, as traditionally suggested, or those settling in Kagaznagar forests and possibly returning to Maharashtra.
