Adilabad: Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) R.M. Dobriyal has said that the Kawal tiger reserve, established in 2012, has struggled to attract migrating big cats as it lacks a resident tigress. He noted that tigresses do not travel long distances like tigers do.
In an exclusive interview with Deccan Chronicle, Dobriyal revealed that one tigress that approached the buffer zone returned to the Tadoba Andhari reserve in Maharashtra due to obstructions such as mining, agricultural fields, roads, canals, and railway tracks on her way to the core area in Telangana.
This newspaper caught up with Dobriyal after he spent three days in Komaram Bheem Asifabad district, meeting forest officials their counterparts from Maharashtra’s Chandrapur as well as NGOs. He inspected areas in the Kagaznagar forest division where tiger activity was reported.
Excerpts
Q: Is the forest department planning to convert the human-animal conflict zone into one of coexistence, given the increased incidents of human conflict involving tigers, in Komaram Bheem Asifabad district?
Coexistence is uncertain as more tigers migrate from Tadoba Andhari and Thippeshwar tiger reserves in Maharashtra. However, we will implement measures to reduce human-animal conflicts and confrontations.
Q: How do you justify promoting eco-tourism and a safari in the Kawal tiger reserve when tigers find it hard to settle there?
We promote responsible eco-tourism that doesn’t disturb wildlife or conservation efforts. Only 20 per cent of the reserve area is used for eco-tourism. Tourists may spot wildlife, including tigers, in the buffer and peripheral areas. We are not promoting a tiger safari in the Kawal reserve.
Q: How is the forest department convincing people of identified core-area villages to relocate, given that villagers from Maisampet and Rampur are unhappy with facilities at Maddipadaga after relocation?
A: We offered an excellent rehabilitation package: relocating them from deep forests to locations near the roads and providing water supply, roads, farmland, and houses. There are issues regarding extending revenue pattas instead of assigned pattas, which we are addressing at the government level. Meeting all expectations is challenging if the list is long. We also plan to relocate four villages from the core area of the Amrabad tiger reserve.
Q: Why are migrating tigers not staying in the Kawal tiger reserve’s core area?
A: Male tigers travel extensively for mating, up to 1,000 km, but females rarely move beyond 300 km. Without a resident female, male tigers won’t settle (at the Kawal reserve). Since 2012, no female has reached the core area due to various obstacles, so migrating tigers remain in transit rather than establishing themselves.
