ADILABAD: Following the killing of two cows in the Laxmipur forest area of the district, the people living in surrounding villages are suspecting that a tiger is on the loose. The villagers claim that the tiger has migrated from the Tippeshwar Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra to the district.
In fact, over the last three years, tiger and leopard movements have been on the rise in these areas. Tigers were often spotted in the Kawal Tiger Reserve in erstwhile Adilabad district. They migrate from Tippeshwar by crossing the Penganga River and enter Kawal.
The Tippeshwar Tiger Reserve is located along the Patanbori and Parwa Ranges of Yavatmal district in Maharashtra. Needless to say, it borders the Adilabad district.
Owing to the increased migration of tigers into the State, the Adilabad forest officials are mulling over setting up a tiger reserve that connects the forest areas of Tamsi, Talmadugu, Bazarathnoor, Echoda, Boath and Sarangapur mandals in Adilabad. These mandals also have sufficient water due to its proximity to the Penganga River.
Further, the region is well-connected to the forest areas in Maharashtra, making it an ideal location for another tiger reserve.
After the setting up of the Tippeshwar Tiger Reserve, the big cats have been increasingly migrating to Kawal in search of food and water. However, the migrated tigers are unable to settle in the region due to the human habitations surrounding it.
Recently, the forest officials had announced that they would link the Kawal Tiger Reserve with the Thadoba Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra and the Indravathi Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh. The said region would form a tiger and leopard corridor owing to the increased movement of the wild cats in their forest areas.
Corridor for wild cats
The officials are going to form a tiger and leopard corridor owing to the increased movement of the wild cats in their forest areas