Rajasthan: Sariska tiger count rising, cubs mark new territories
Category : Wildlife |
Location : Rajasthan | Posted on 2021-08-03 00:49:02
JAIPUR: Sariska Tiger Reserve (STR), which gained notoriety for poaching, is slowly inching towards a steady big cat population.
Conservation efforts made in the recent past have started bearing fruits, as grown-up tiger cubs born at the reserve are marking new territories.
The forest administration gave identification number ST- 22 to a female cub on Monday, which was born to tigress ST-10 last year.
Field director of Sariska Tiger Reserve, RN Meena said, “The tigress is one-and-a-half years old. It has marked its territory in Beenak, Seerabas and Dharampura region.”
Wildlife lovers believe that it’s a sign of flourishment and an indication that the forest has a decent strength of tigers. Dinesh Verma Durani, founder and general secretary of Sariska Tiger Foundation said, “It’s a healthy sign that young tigers are marking new territories. Recently, ST-6, which ruled over a large territory in the core area, was pushed by young male tiger ST-21. Entry of young adult males and females every three to five years is required to maintain a balanced population growth. Earlier, this was missing in STR.”
A recent successful village relocation programme is also providing inviolate spaces for tigers at STR and allowing them to thrive in absence of human interference.
Sunil Mehta, member of State Board for Wildlife (SBWL), said, “The young tigress has marked its territory in the region from where the villages were relocated. The area is sufficient and there will also be no overlapping of territory with another big cat.”
At present, there are 23 tigers at STR including 4 cubs. “Recently, the sub-adult male tigers ST-20 and ST-21 have grown up and have marked their territory. It indicated that these big cats are not timid and living on peripheries to feed on cattle. Young tigers battling for territory is a good sign in Sariska,” he said.
The reserve is spread across 1,281 sq-km area and is divided into six ranges. Experts claimed, constant conservation efforts will make Sariska self-sustainable and there was no requirement to relocate tigers from another reserve.
Safaris closed at R’bore due to rain
After heavy rainfall deteriorated the safari routes in the tiger reserve, the forest administration at Ranthambore National Park (RNP) closed the safari from August 2 (Monday) evening, till next orders. The RNP has already closed the core ( 1 to 5 zones ) area during the monsoon. However, zones in buffer (6 to 10) were open for safaris.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/sariska-tiger-count-rising-cubs-mark-new-territories/articleshowprint/84988954.cms
