Adilabad: The flood situation in the state with most of its rivers and rivulets overflowing has jeopardised the safety and security of adult tigers and their cubs in the Tiger corridor between Telangana and Maharashtra.
Taking care of the tigers in their habitat has become a must in the wake of the floods and heavy rains. The forest department is considering Kagaznagar forest division as a corridor between Tadoba Andhari and Kawal Tiger Reserve. Forest officials claim seven tigers are moving in the Kagaznagar forest division.
Animal trackers of the forest department should track the tigers’ movement otherwise they may face danger or poachers may cause harm to the tigers. Two tigers were found dead in the forests between Dharigaon and Sarikepalli villages in the Kagaznagar mandal in January 2024.
Forest officials say adult tigers can swim in the floods and reach hilly areas for their safety and floods will not affect them. But, tiger cubs may face difficulty in protecting themselves in floods.
Pranahitha, Penganga and Godavari are flowing high with floodwater being discharged downstream from Komaram Bheem, Kadam and Yellampalli projects. Tigers’ movement was found in Ankusapur forest area and along the canals of Komaram Bheem project in Kagaznagar mandal.
Recently, a tiger was found in the forests of Kerameri, Asifabad and Tiryani mandals which fall under the buffer zone of the Kawal Tiger Reserve.
A few days ago, a four-year-old tiger was found near Devapur in Kerameri sharing borders with Maharashtra and the field staff found pug marks at a rivulet in the same locality.
Forest officials did not confirm whether the migrated tiger crossed the river Penganga to return to its original habitat Thippeshwar Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra.
According to tiger conservationists, tigers along with their cubs take shelter in hilly areas when there are floods and do not take life risk to cross the overflowing rivulets and streams especially when there are cubs in the family.
In normal times, tigers cross the river Pranahitha and enter the forests of the Kagaznagar division from the bordering Maharashtra. Most of the time, tigers from the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve migrate into the borders of Telangana and some of them settle in Kagaznagar forest division while some others return to their original habitat.
