HYDERABAD: As the world marks World Tiger Day, Telangana has received a major boost with the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) selecting Kawal Tiger Reserve as one of the first five reserves under a national tiger reintroduction programme. The initiative aims to revive tiger populations in 12 reserves that currently have no tigers or only a few individuals.
Despite having enough prey to support between 35 and 41 tigers, the 893 sq km reserve still lacks a resident breeding population. Forest officials say prey is no longer the limiting factor. Instead, the focus has shifted to securing wildlife corridors, removing encroachments and ensuring that breeding female tigers establish territories in the reserve.
A recent scientific assessment found that Kawal’s prey base has improved significantly. Researchers monitored five key prey species — chital, sambar, nilgai, wild pig and chousingha — through seven surveys conducted between 2010 and 2022. The most notable increase was in the chital population, whose density rose from 1.94 animals per sq km in 2010 to 6.08 in 2022, reflecting substantial habitat recovery. Populations of nilgai, sambar and chousingha remained stable, while wild pig numbers fluctuated.
The increase in prey has substantially enhanced Kawal’s carrying capacity. One ecological model estimated that the reserve’s capacity rose from about 24 tigers in 2010 to over 41 in 2022, while another estimated an increase from nearly 24 to around 36. Researchers attributed the gains to grassland management, habitat protection and water conservation measures introduced after Kawal was declared a tiger reserve in 2012. They, however, stressed the need to increase larger prey such as sambar and gaur, which are more suitable for breeding tigers.
Yet the reserve remains without a resident tiger population. Over the past decade, only 15 dispersing tigers entered Kawal from Maharashtra, of which just two were females. Officials say restoring landscape connectivity and reducing human pressures are now essential for long-term recovery.
Officials said the NTCA has asked Telangana to identify why dispersing tigers fail to settle in Kawal despite the availability of suitable habitat. “Kawal is strategically located between the Central Indian tiger landscape and the Eastern Ghats and continues to receive dispersing tigers. However, encroachments remain a major concern, and the state has been asked to remove them through legal measures,” an official told TNIE.
If encroachments are cleared, habitat protection strengthened and adequate protection measures put in place, tiger reintroduction could begin within a year, officials added. Animals are likely to be sourced from Maharashtra’s Tadoba landscape or adjoining forests. The plan is to initially introduce a couple of female tigers followed by a male, with additional introductions over time to establish a genetically viable population.
Officials cautioned that reintroduction is a long-term exercise. Drawing lessons from the successful revival of Panna and Sariska tiger reserves, they said sustained protection, intensive patrolling, dedicated field staff and continuous monitoring would be critical, with visible results likely to take about five years. They also emphasised that local communities must play a central role in conservation.
The assessment also identifies habitat fragmentation—not prey shortage—as the biggest challenge. Kawal remains linked to Maharashtra’s tiger landscape through forest corridors passing via Kagaznagar, Asifabad, Mancherial, Adilabad and Nirmal. However, these corridors are increasingly fragmented by NH-44, the Nagpur-Hyderabad railway line, open-cast coal mines, irrigation projects and expanding settlements, creating bottlenecks for dispersing tigers.
Officials also pointed to the presence of around 30 villages within Kawal’s core area. Livestock grazing, snaring, hunting with free-ranging dogs and the risk of disease transmission from domestic animals continue to pose threats to wildlife, underscoring the need for stronger protection and greater community participation.