KOPPAL: The return of a young male tiger to Kishkinda hills in Gangavathi taluk of Koppal may have surprised many. But the historic records and district archives prove the rich presence of tigers and other carnivores in the forests of Koppal and Ballari.
It was late 1950s, after the construction of Tungabhadra dam the tiger corridor that existed between the eastern corridor to western corridor connecting Shrishailam and Shivamogga was cut off. A small population of tigers kept thriving in Koppal and Sandur for the next two decades.
These tigers were either hunted down by the royal family members in game events and local hunters. After the wildlife protection laws came into action in 1972, there was no such hunting reported in these areas. The last tiger in this region was shot during a game in the Elugudda area near Sanapur of Koppal.
Recalling the hunting years, Indrajit Ghorpade, founder of Deccan Conservation Foundation of Koppal and member of Ghorphade Clan of Gajendraghad and Sandur, said royal guests from other provinces used to visit Sandur and Gangavathi for hunting.
"The games used to be organised by our family where guests from other palaces used to come. As a young boy I have joined many hunting events. The hunters used to take help of trained beaters like the British did for hunting. Until 1971 there was no ban on wildlife hunting. Rajashri Shahu Maharaj of Kolhapur used to come to Sandur with his pet Cheetah for hunting events organised by our family," Ghorphade said.
"There was a village called Hesaru which got submerged in the waters of the Tungabhadra dam. It was a flat area like a savanna in Africa where tigers and several prey animals coexisted. The royal family had introduced sambar deer in Sandur hills even before conservation laws came into action. The Sandur itself had 12 tigers," Ghorphade recalled.
"Even today the forest guest house built during the British era exists on Chitradurga to Hospet highway in a place named Chilaknatti. The guests and royal family members used to come here before the hunting. The tigers were found in present day's three taluks - Hosapete, Sandur and Gangavathi. The areas such as Muslapur and Elugudda had good numbers of tigers, leopards, sloth bears and prey animals. During winters the royal family used to conduct games on Ballari to Kurnool road where migratory birds used to visit," he said.