https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Pilibhit’s Young & Famous Tigress On The Prowl Again, Hunting For Territory

Pilibhit’s famous tigress has come out of Protected Area again This time, she was seen taking a night stroll in a nearby town Forest department is following a wait-and-watch strategy
Indian Masterminds Stories

A young tigress from Pilibhit Tiger Reserve is frequently making news headlines of late, by moving out of the forests and making herself at home in human habitats. Her comfortable jaunts into Pilibhit town and villages are creating a wave of excitement among the public while sending the forest department into a tizzy, as they are now literally caught between the devil and the deep sea!

They would be answerable, either ways – if the public causes any harm to her, or if she accidentally ends up killing a human. As of now, the tigress has parked herself in a river basin.

In the midst of the public excitement and forest department’s worries, Indian Masterminds caught up with DFO of Pilibhit, Mr. Naveen Khandelwal, an IFS officer of 2016 batch, to know more about this famous young tigress.

TRAILING HER

“We are closely trailing her and keeping a close watch on her movements. She is moving southwards from the tiger reserve,” said Mr. Khandelwal. This is the second time within a short duration that this particular tigress has moved out of the forests into human inhabited areas.

The last time, she perched herself on the wall of a gurudwara and even went off to sleep after seemingly getting bored of watching the crowds of people gathered around her, recording her with their cameras. The videos and photos made to TV and print news and became viral in no time, bringing her instant fame.

Eventually, the forest department tranquilised and captured her, and ran medical tests on her to rule out any infection. After all the tests came back normal, she was released back into the forest area, and the department heaved a sigh of relief, which has, unfortunately, turned out to be shortlived!

The tigress is back again in the town, and till the filing of this report, is on the prowl. For the last few says, she has been staying put in a river basin nearby. Before finding her way here, she went for a casual evening stroll in the town, raising the excitement bar a notch higher among the public this time round. Videos of her walking around nonchalantly emerged with clear excited voices of people in the background talking about having a tigress in their backyard.

Least bothered about human presence

NO PUSHING BACK

The forest department took no time to arrive on the spot, and has been trailing the tigress ever since. “We are not making any effort to push her back as it is not possible since she is about 20 km away from the forest area. From the town area, she has moved on to river basin. Every day, she is walking around 10 km,” Mr. Khandelwal said.

Both the times, the tigress stepped out of the Protected Area and walked into densely human populated areas. The fact that she has shown no signs of fright or panic on being surrounded by excited crowds of people has come to the notice of the forest officials. Neither has she shown any sign of feeling threatened and of aggression. This has perplexed wildlife enthusiasts and tiger experts.

While agreeing that this is not normal, Mr. Khandelwal sought to explain it with this theory. “Let’s call this human presence conditioning of a tiger. She is a young tigress and she is moving out to establish her own territory as the Pilibhit is a high density Tiger Reserve with 71 plus tigers inside the PA, and she must have not succeeded in making her own territory inside.”

Taking a power nap on the wall of a gurudwara

LOWERING DOWN GUARD

Although this makes sense of her unusual behaviour, the lowering down of guard might actually expose her to threats to her life. Ever since she has come out for the second time, she has killed three cattle for food within a week. If she continues preying on the livestock of villagers, one cannot rule out their getting agitated and causing harm to the big cat.

One thing that has so far prevented the villagers from taking any step in haste is the Bagh Mitras, groups of young people from the villages on the fringes formed by the Pilibhit forest department, to spread awareness on the do’s and dont’s in case of coming face to face with a tiger.

Also, this tigress was radio collared the last time she was captured, which is helping the forest department to track her movements all the time, and send alerts to villages in advance.

Incidentally, she has not been given a name as, unlike other tiger reserves, Pilibhit does not name their tigers. Mr. Khandelwal said, “We don’t follow the procedure of naming our tigers. We recognise them by their stripes.”

Identifying them by their ‘stripes’ is fine. However, what is not fine is the ‘stripping’ of guard by this young tigress in an area besieged by human-tiger conflicts. Hence, as they wait and watch, the Pilibhit forest officials and staff are on constant high alert to prevent any untoward incident, as Miss Royal Stripes continues southwards on her hunt for territory.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
Rajaji tiger reserve
Wildlife Adventure Returns: Rajaji Tiger Reserve to Resume Jungle Safari from 15 November 2025 — Online Registration Now Open
Panna police
Panna Police Under Siege: SHO and Constable Injured as Villagers Launch Brutal Attack
Panna police
Khaki Power on the Podium: MP Police Shine at All India Police Games 2025 with Gold, Yoga & Judo Glory
India Russia R-37M missile talks
India Russia R-37M Missile Talks Advances to Arm Su-30MKI fighters
IAF MRFA project
114 Fighters, One Mission — MoD Pushes for 100% Indian Involvement in IAF MRFA Project
Ias sam rizvi
Hyderabad: Principal Secretary IAS SAM Rizvi Opts for Voluntary Retirement Amid Dispute with Telangana Excise Minister Jupally Krishna Rao
MP-Police-
Madhya Pradesh IPS Transfers: 7 Senior Officers Shifted in Midnight Reshuffle; Rajababu Singh, Irshad Wali Among Key Names
Powergrid
POWERGRID Strengthens National Grid Connectivity with Acquisition of 2 Key TBCB Projects Worth ₹3,375 Crore
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-19 at 12.23
UPSC Journey Should Be Enjoyable, Not Cumbersome
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-16 at 15.16
The Many Facets of Former IRS Officer and Author, Giselle Mehta | Video Interview
IDES Saquib Alam
Beyond IAS and IPS: The Inspiring Work of an IDES officer | Video Interview 
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
IAS Rupal Rana UPSC
How Rupal Rana Cracked UPSC CSE 2023 with AIR 26 After Four Attempts
UPSC Topper Rupal Rana secured AIR 26 in 2023 after four attempts. Learn her preparation strategy, booklist,...
Ankita Parashar RAS 2023
4 Attempts, 1 Dream, 0 Excuses: Meet RAS Topper Ankita Parashar, Who Fulfilled a Daughter’s Promise & Secured Rank 2 | Exclusive Interview
Ankita Parashar, a teacher-turned-officer from Pushkar, fulfilled her late father’s dream by securing...
Kushal Chaudhary RAS
From Lab Assistant’s Grit to Rajasthan Topper: How Kushal Chaudhary Topped RAS 2023 with Self-Study | Preparation, Strategy & Interview
Kushal Chaudhary, a farmer’s son and lab assistant from Ajmer, topped RAS 2023 through self-study, overcoming...
Social Media
IFS Parveen Kaswan
Heartbreak by the River: 15-Day-Old Elephant Calf Rejected by Mother, Rescued by IFS Parveen Kaswan and His Team
Jaldapra, West Bengal: In a moving incident that tugs at the heart, a 15-day-old elephant calf was rescued...
Ashwini Bhide IAS and Anand Mahindra
Who Is IAS Ashwini Bhide, Hailed as a Role Model for Mumbai Metro Transformation by Anand Mahindra?
From heritage to high-tech: Bhide’s leadership in Metro Line 3 earns public praise and admiration
World Rhino Day India
On World Rhino Day, IFS Officer Parveen Kaswan Shares Rare Insights - India Now Hosts 80% of the World’s One-Horned Rhinos
September 22 Marks Global Call for Rhino Conservation; India Holds 80% of World’s Greater One-Horned...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
Rajaji tiger reserve
Wildlife Adventure Returns: Rajaji Tiger Reserve to Resume Jungle Safari from 15 November 2025 — Online Registration Now Open
Panna police
Panna Police Under Siege: SHO and Constable Injured as Villagers Launch Brutal Attack
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-19 at 12.23
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-16 at 15.16
IDES Saquib Alam
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT