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Tiger’s 500-km travel surprises forest dept to relocate big cat in Sahyadri reserve
Male tiger born in Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary in Yavatmal has travelled 500 kilometres, reaching Solapur district
Pune: In a remarkable journey across Maharashtra, a male tiger born in the Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary in Yavatmal has travelled an unusual 500 kilometres, reaching Solapur district. The striped animal will now be relocated 300 km deep into the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve, according to a proposal submitted by the Pune forest department to the forest head office in Nagpur. Officials of Dharashiv and Solapur forest divisions are keeping a close watch on the tiger’s movement to avoid any untoward incident.
Rise in cattle attacks prompted farmers in Solapur district to alert forest department officials in December 2024. To the authorities’ surprise, the installed camera traps showed the presence of a male tiger, born at Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary in 2022.
Officials said that the big cat, said to have disappeared from the sanctuary in May 2023, was first sighted at Yedshi Ramaling Wildlife Sanctuary in Dharashiv district in December 2024, before entering Barshi tehsil in Solapur 20 days later, marking the first tiger sighting in the region in the last 50 years.
Kushagra Pathak, deputy conservator of forests, Solapur Forest Division said, “The tiger is a cub of T22 tigress in Yavatmal. Although it is not impossible for a tiger to cover the far distance, what is unusual is that Solapur and Dharashiv are not established tiger corridors.”
According to Pathak, efforts are on to sensitise locals about the big cat’s movements.
“We have asked them not to venture out in fields or remote areas alone. Our staff is also being trained by RESQ Charitable Trust to handle the situation, especially tranquilising the big cat if the need arises. To track the tiger’s movements, we have set up eight camera traps and its location keeps changing as the animal is moving in areas between Solapur and Dharashiv. The tiger was last spotted in Solapur district,” he said.
Aditya Paranjape, honorary wildlife warden, Pune Forest Circle, said, “The central Indian landscape already has a dense tiger population. The Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary is comparatively a smaller sanctuary, and the tiger must have come out of the place in search of a new territory. Since the tiger was not radio-collared earlier, it is difficult to trace the route which the animal has taken so far. There is also a possibility that the big cat will travel further in search of territory.”
About the relocation, Paranjape said, “As long as there is no conflict with humans, the tiger should not be relocated by authorities but allowed to find his own new territory. It would be a good option to radio collar him and let him explore further. This will also help us identify the route which the tiger takes to move ahead and possibly the new route which is yet unknown to us.”
Meanwhile, to avoid possible threat to humans, poaching or any other mishap, the forest department is planning to relocate the tiger to the nearby Sahyadri Tiger Reserve.
Why Sahyadri reserve?
According to experts, the tiger cannot be sent back to Tipeshwar or other tiger reserves in Vidarbha since they have already been witnessing territorial fights.
NR Praveen, chief conservator of forests, Pune Forest Department, said, “After the tiger sighting, Dharashiv and Solapur forest divisions have jointly sent us the proposal to capture the tiger and relocate to the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve as it is the closest location. After receiving the proposal, around a week ago, we immediately sent the same to the Nagpur headquarters and the proposal is under consideration with the forest head office. There is already a proposal to relocate the tiger from Vidarbha to Sahyadri Tiger Reserve. Since the animal has already travelled half the distance, it would be suitable to shift him to Sahyadri Tiger Reserve. Once we receive permission from the head office, the tiger will be tranquilised and captured. After conducting the health check-up, the tiger will be shifted to Sahyadri Tiger Reserve under the given timeline by the head office. The standard procedures are already set and will be followed for relocation. It would be the first tiger relocation from Vidarbha to Sahyadri Tiger Reserve.”
Why tiger travelled this far?
While local wildlife experts claim that the tiger has been travelling in search of mate or food, researchers highlighted the fact that the Yavatmal-based male tiger is believed to have travelled in search of new territory. As the Vidarbha region falls into the central Indian landscape, most of its territories are already occupied, which is said to have prompted the male tiger to find new territory. The researchers said that the latest sighting shows that the landscape remains suitable for tiger movement.
In 2021, a young male tiger, T3C1, moved from Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary in Vidarbha to Gautala Autramghat Wildlife Sanctuary in Aurangabad,
The route
The 2.5-year-old tiger, according to forest officials, began from Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary to Painganga Wildlife Sanctuary in Yavatmal, then to Nanded district in Marathwada, before moving to Latur district, Yedshi Ramaling Wildlife Sanctuary in Dharashiv district, and finally Barshi taluka in Solapur district.
