Mrudul Godbole
05-09-2013, 05:46 PM
Tiger takes a walk, PTR in jitters
- Pugmarks along 65km unprotected corridor, forest teams rushed from Palamau & Latehar
A.S.R.P. MUKESH
Ranchi, Sept. 4: An adult male tiger has sneaked out of the 1,129sqkm Palamau Tiger Reserve for the first time in its history and is on a catwalk along an unsafe 65km corridor, dotted with human habitation, that leads into Latehar district.
Since last night, the big cat reportedly mauled two buffaloes at Huru village in the Balumath range of Latehar forest division, triggering both panic and resentment. This morning, it was crouching behind a hedge on the outer periphery of the village, which is located almost 60km away from the reserve and where pugmarks have been found.
Though no human attack has been reported so far, Palamau officials are worried for two big reasons.
First, Balumath is not a “tiger notified zone”, which leaves the majestic animal vulnerable to poaching and, at the same time, poses threat to the 500-odd hamlets scattered across the range.
Second, Balumath doesn’t have adequate trained forest guards to tackle a predator threat. Against 20 sanctioned posts, there are just three guards who are again not equipped to handle an unprecedented situation like this.
Authorities at the Palamau Tiger Reserve (PTR) and Latehar forest division maintained that they had rushed teams, headed by range officers, this morning “to take stock of the situation and ensure no untoward incident occurred”.
Latehar DFO Mamta Priyadarshi, who has assumed office recently, confirmed that their team had already reached Huru village.
“My office received compensation requests for two cattle kills this morning, which is when we came to know of the great escape. A team has been sent to track the animal and ensure that there is no man-animal conflict, though there has been no human casualty yet. We had feared it would enter Chatra and Hazaribagh. But, there are signs of it heading back,” she said.
Currently, there are seven to 10 big cats at PTR. Priyadarshi confirmed that this was the first time a tiger had sneaked out of the reserve since it came into existence in the Seventies.
DFO (core) of the reserve Premjit Anand said that the tiger was perhaps in search of a new territory and got lost because of topographical changes owing to anti-rebel operations. “There is no scarcity of food and water in PTR,” he insisted. On whether the animal was a male or female, he said: “From the pattern of pugmarks and distance covered, it seems like a he.”
Principal chief conservator of forests (chief wildlife warden) A.K. Mishra said one could not limit tiger movement. “Boundaries are for humans, not wild animals. One still does not know for sure if the big cat is from PTR. Had there been radio-collaring, the same could have been ascertained,” he said.
A source maintained that big cats had been preying on cattle in PTR’s buffer zone instead of just the core area for the past few months. “Tigers are territorial animals, requiring large contiguous areas of habitat that support their prey requirements. They establish and maintain home ranges as long as there is steady supply of food and water,” he said, hinting at possible prey crunch that might have prompted the big cat to extend its turf.
He also expressed concern over PTR’s inability to compensate villagers who have lost their cattle in the recent past. “There is visible resentment among people over these tiger attacks on cattle. Any kill outside the protected area is liable for compensation. Roughly, over 35-40 such claims are pending with PTR because of no authorisation to withdraw funds,” he explained.
Wildlife activist D.S. Srivastava, who is part of various tiger and elephant conservation committees of the Centre and state, said Latehar and Palamau were connected by a forest corridor wending its way through Kumandih, Patki jungle in Manika and Balumath.
“Tiger abhi ghumne gaya hai. (The tiger has gone for a walk). We are keeping tabs on its movements for both man and animal safety,” he added.
- Pugmarks along 65km unprotected corridor, forest teams rushed from Palamau & Latehar
A.S.R.P. MUKESH
Ranchi, Sept. 4: An adult male tiger has sneaked out of the 1,129sqkm Palamau Tiger Reserve for the first time in its history and is on a catwalk along an unsafe 65km corridor, dotted with human habitation, that leads into Latehar district.
Since last night, the big cat reportedly mauled two buffaloes at Huru village in the Balumath range of Latehar forest division, triggering both panic and resentment. This morning, it was crouching behind a hedge on the outer periphery of the village, which is located almost 60km away from the reserve and where pugmarks have been found.
Though no human attack has been reported so far, Palamau officials are worried for two big reasons.
First, Balumath is not a “tiger notified zone”, which leaves the majestic animal vulnerable to poaching and, at the same time, poses threat to the 500-odd hamlets scattered across the range.
Second, Balumath doesn’t have adequate trained forest guards to tackle a predator threat. Against 20 sanctioned posts, there are just three guards who are again not equipped to handle an unprecedented situation like this.
Authorities at the Palamau Tiger Reserve (PTR) and Latehar forest division maintained that they had rushed teams, headed by range officers, this morning “to take stock of the situation and ensure no untoward incident occurred”.
Latehar DFO Mamta Priyadarshi, who has assumed office recently, confirmed that their team had already reached Huru village.
“My office received compensation requests for two cattle kills this morning, which is when we came to know of the great escape. A team has been sent to track the animal and ensure that there is no man-animal conflict, though there has been no human casualty yet. We had feared it would enter Chatra and Hazaribagh. But, there are signs of it heading back,” she said.
Currently, there are seven to 10 big cats at PTR. Priyadarshi confirmed that this was the first time a tiger had sneaked out of the reserve since it came into existence in the Seventies.
DFO (core) of the reserve Premjit Anand said that the tiger was perhaps in search of a new territory and got lost because of topographical changes owing to anti-rebel operations. “There is no scarcity of food and water in PTR,” he insisted. On whether the animal was a male or female, he said: “From the pattern of pugmarks and distance covered, it seems like a he.”
Principal chief conservator of forests (chief wildlife warden) A.K. Mishra said one could not limit tiger movement. “Boundaries are for humans, not wild animals. One still does not know for sure if the big cat is from PTR. Had there been radio-collaring, the same could have been ascertained,” he said.
A source maintained that big cats had been preying on cattle in PTR’s buffer zone instead of just the core area for the past few months. “Tigers are territorial animals, requiring large contiguous areas of habitat that support their prey requirements. They establish and maintain home ranges as long as there is steady supply of food and water,” he said, hinting at possible prey crunch that might have prompted the big cat to extend its turf.
He also expressed concern over PTR’s inability to compensate villagers who have lost their cattle in the recent past. “There is visible resentment among people over these tiger attacks on cattle. Any kill outside the protected area is liable for compensation. Roughly, over 35-40 such claims are pending with PTR because of no authorisation to withdraw funds,” he explained.
Wildlife activist D.S. Srivastava, who is part of various tiger and elephant conservation committees of the Centre and state, said Latehar and Palamau were connected by a forest corridor wending its way through Kumandih, Patki jungle in Manika and Balumath.
“Tiger abhi ghumne gaya hai. (The tiger has gone for a walk). We are keeping tabs on its movements for both man and animal safety,” he added.