‘Jailed’ tiger brothers of Bandhavgarh reserve being separated, translocated

Two tigers – T25 and T26 – who were isolated in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve after locals believed they were responsible for four people’s deaths, are being separated into environment’s that suit their nature.

Updated on: Jun 30, 2016, 10:58:57 IST

By Neeraj Santoshi, Bhopal

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T25 and T26 were born to the same mother in 2012. Four years later, the two brothers are being separated – one is being let off into the wild while the other remains in captivity.

The tigers T25 and T26 were born in the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in 2012. (HT Photos)

Meet the ‘jailed’ tigers of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve.

Born on the reserve, the two were restricted to the Bahera enclosure in 2014 after local villagers in Khitouli area of Bandhavgarh alleged they killed four people.

Following more than year of authorities studying their behavior, the tigers are now being separated from each other to be translocated to environments that best suit their nature.

While T25 was sent to Van Vihar National Park in Bhopal where “he can be near people” and be seen from a safe distance, his brother T26 is being located to the Sanjay Tiger Reserve to be released into wild by the first week of July.

Authorities at the Bandhavgarh reserve found that T25 was not afraid of humans at all and was more aggressive. (HT Photo)

“After we captured the tigers in October 2014 and put them in enclosure, we learnt that T25 was not afraid of humans at all. He was more aggressive and would easily go near humans and even pose for photographs,” the reserve’s field director, K Raman, said.

On the contrary, T26 was shy and avoided humans, a trait of a wild tiger.

“After experts from National Tiger Conservation of India (NTCA) and Wildlife Institute of India also came to study them here, we sought permission from NTCA for their translocation. We sought permission for shifting T25 to Van Vihar National Park Bhopal and in case of T26, permission for its translocation to Sanjay Tiger Reserve,” the field director said.

After studying the tiger siblings’ behaviour, T26 turned out to be the more shy of the two. Unlike his brother, he avoided humans much like tiger in the wild do. (HT Photo)

Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, located between the Vindhyan and Satpura ranges in Umaria district, has one of the highest tiger densities in the country, with over 60 to 65 tigers and 40 tiger cubs. This has led to an increase in man-animal conflict over the past few years, with both mammals getting killed.

Read | Why India’s tiger count may not paint the true picture of big cat numbers

To monitor his progress in the wild, T26 will be given a radio collar. The NTCA had also asked for a proper survey of the prey base before setting the animal free. Raman said the tiger would be ready to go in the first week of July.

The tiger’s brother, T 25, was successfully translocated to Bhopal on Monday, where he was renamed Bandhu. “But he will always remain T25 for us,” Raman said.

The two brothers were born to T19, a female tiger, and her mate, T 22.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Santoshi
Neeraj Santoshi is the Chief of Bureau for Hindustan Times in Uttarakhand, where he leads the state reporting team while covering government, politics, environment, wildlife, Uttarakhand High Court, and issues shaping the Himalayan region. With more than two decades in journalism across conflict zones, he has covered politically sensitive regions and environmentally fragile landscapes, and focused on stories that combine public interest with in-depth storytelling. An alumnus of Pune University with a Master’s in Communication Studies, he has reported extensively from Jammu & Kashmir (2003-2010), Madhya Pradesh (2010 to 2018 ) and Uttarakhand (Since 2018), covering subjects ranging from insurgency, elections and governance to wildlife conservation, mining, climate change, agriculture, human rights and social justice. He has covered politics and legislative assemblies of both Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh over more than a decade. Before taking over as Chief of Bureau in Uttarakhand, he served as Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in Madhya Pradesh and earlier reported for both Hindustan Times and The Indian Express in Jammu & Kashmir, where he covered state politics, environment and insurgency-related developments. Over the years, his stories have focused on environmental degradation, wildlife, illegal mining, governance and the changing social fabric of Himalayan states and Central India. He is particularly interested in long-form explanatory journalism, and stories that explore the intersection of ecology, conservation, governance and society. Outside the newsroom, Neeraj enjoys reading widely on neuroscience, consciousness studies, Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, with a special interest in Kashmiri Tantric Shaivist traditions. He is also passionate about wildlife, mountaineering and the Himalayas, interests that continue to inform his reporting and deepen his understanding of the region he covers.Read More

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