ADILABAD: Forest authorities are looking to plant trees, shrubs and herbs, including grass, in the Kawal Tiger Reserve with the aim to make tigers settle in the area. Authorities said the rise in the grass would ensure that herbivores, who are often taken prey by carnivores such as tigers, are also present in the area so that ecological balance can be maintained.
Experts also point out that a number of big cats from Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve and Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary in Maharashtra are relocating towards the forest and plain areas under Tamsi Mandal. Recently, one tiger and cubs were detected in Tamsi Mandal but owing to the lack of connections to access the forest areas, they are staying put outside.
Officials point out that there is one crossing by the Painganga river from where animals can move to the forest areas in Tamsi, Bazarhatnoor and Neradigonda mandals. However, a large number of cattle coming to the area for grazing destroys their habitat and eventually impacts the area’s ecological balance. Experts say this is one of the primary reasons for the low number of wild animals migrating to the Kawal Tiger Reserve.
Podu land issue
Forest department employees, who have been deployed to prevent grazers from venturing into the forest areas, say that they face problems owing to strong opposition from podu land farmers.While the State government has recently announced that district administration would be issuing land-use certificates, officials stated that the number of application outweigh the amount of land available for use.
An official said they received 83,000 applications for 3.1 lakh acres of land. Less than 10 per cent of the applications are from farmers who started cultivation before 2005. Around 50 per cent of the applications are from non-tribals, he added. Due to the absence of plain land, officials will now have to come up against land grabbers in a bid to protect vital forest land and ensure that the tigers have a proper habitat.
Lack of access points
A tiger and cubs were detected in Tamsi Mandal but owing to the lack of connections to access the forest areas, they are staying put outside. Officials point out that there is one crossing by the Painganga river from where animals can move to the forest areas in Tamsi, Bazarhatnoor and Neradigonda mandals