RANCHI: A new tiger has been sighted in Jharkhand's Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR), making the total count of big cats to seven in the reserve. According to officials, the four-year-old male tiger has been sighted recently on the high-resolution camera installed in PTR.
Following the sighting of the new tiger, a high alert has been issued throughout the PTR and the tiger's movement is being monitored closely.
“We have sighted a new male tiger in PTR, which is about 4 years of age. This tiger has stripe pattern quite different from the other tigers present in PTR,” said PTR Deputy Director Prajesh Kant Jena. Additional camera and forest personnel have been deployed in the areas where the tiger is moving, he added.
"With the arrival of the new tiger, the number of tigers in the Palamu Tiger Reserve has increased to seven," said Jena.
Officials also informed that this new tiger might have entered the PTR through the tiger corridor in Bandhavgarh in Madhya Pradesh or Chhattisgarh. Now, they have direct or indirect evidences of seven tigers in PTR, they said.
According to officials, efforts are being made to retain these tigers in Jharkhand. The prey base in PTR has been improved. Four soft release camps have also been set up in the reserve, where Cheetal (Spotted Deer) will be shifted which will increase the pray base for tiger, they said.
The soft release centres are where animals are placed in pre-release cages. After some time, the animals are allowed to go out, but they have the option of returning to the cage for shelter, water and food.
In addition to that, grasslands are also being developed to arrange ample food for the deer brought from the Betla forest, besides the construction of a few check dams to provide water for the animals.
The PTR was made a tiger reserve in 1973, spread over an area of about 1,230 sq km. The region has 22 tigers in 1972. In 1995, the tiger population in PTR peaked, with 71 big cats. But then the fall began, and only three tigers remained in 2014.
According to the Status of Tigers in India report, released in 2019, there were no tigers in PTR. But now, once again the tiger count has started increasing in PTR and their count has rose to seven in the last few years.
