ADILABAD: For the last one year, the Kawal Tiger Reserve has been home to no tigers. This was until now. On Saturday morning, a large male tiger was spotted by a camera in the reserve. Suspected to have come either from the Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary or Tadoba National Park in Maharashtra, the images of the animal were captured in Kadem range of Khanapur division in the reserve. But the sources claim that the big cat has already disappeared from the arena.
Forest officials claim that many tigers had found their way to Kawal in the years 2015, 2017 and now in 2018. However, the fact remains that those that visited Kawal once have not come back. So now the question is this — why do the tigers keep turning their backs to this ‘promised land’ of theirs?
Popular opinion claims that it is the unchecked activities of teak wood smugglers in the reserve that has put the tigers off from staying. With the officials often turning a blind eye to the practice, many parts of the once-thick forest are now almost plains.
Based on the recommendations of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the Centre had issued orders to the sanctuaries to set up a Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF) in 2015. But even after three years, no steps have been taken in this direction. The scheme is now as good as cancelled. Even the ground-level staff at the reserve, who monitor tiger movement, have diverted their attention towards the Haritha Haram and Haritha Rakshana committees, rather than wildlife protection.