Ranthambore is witnessing a baby boom. Two new tiger cubs were recently sighted in the national park, taking the number of cubs born at the tiger reserve in the last 10 months to 20.
The total number of tigers in Ranthambore in southeast Rajasthan has now gone up to 46 - 26 adults (12 male, 14 female) and 20 cubs. Of these, two cubs delivered by tigress T13 have been missing for a while.
The new cubs were delivered by tigress T9 in Zone 5, which is close to Padra village. The inhabitants of the village were recently shifted out of the park to allow more space for the big cats.
“This is a success of the rehabilitation of villagers from the core tiger habitat. We need to protect the natural habitat so that the big cats survive on their own," said Dharmendra Khandal, conservation biologist at Tiger Watch, an NGO, in Ranthambhore.
Another village, Kathuli, will also be shifted out of the park soon. Conservationists believe more areas need to be developed as tiger habitats.