On 18 October, 2023, a tigress was captured from a sugarcane field in Jamuniya village near Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR). Later, this tigress was released back in the Mala range of PTR after proper health checkup. This particular tigress had been causing terror in the last three months in many villages situated near PTR. Hence, after she was captured, villagers heaved a sigh of relief.
However, just after a day, one more tiger was seen near Raniganj village in PTR range. This scenario is not new for the villagers living on the fringes of PTR and its range. They face the problem of confronting tigers every now and then, sometimes even losing their loved one or pets to the big cats. So the question arises, what are the solutions the forest department is working on to mitigate these human-tiger conflicts?
Indian Masterminds spoke to DFO of Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, Mr. Naveen Khandelwal, an IFS officer of 2016 batch, to find out the answer.
RESCUE AND RELEASE
Many initiatives have been taken by PTR to prevent tigers from straying into human areas, like fencing the sensitive zones and appointing ‘Bagh Mitras’ (tiger friends). Till now, PTR has fenced almost 17 kilometres of forest land and appointed more than 100 Bagh Mitras through whom the forest department monitors the areas and collect data for tracking the tigers.
In the recent case, the tigress was rescued from a sugarcane field near a populated area in Jamunia village. She was tranquilized and was hit four times with darts. Then, she was released on 18 October after thorough health checkups. She is almost three years old and has just been weaned off.
At this age, tigers try to establish their own territory. And if it cannot make it within the forest area, then it starts moving outside. That’s why the tigress was trying to create her own territory. Killings have also taken place in that particular area where she was found roaming, but it is not confirmed whether she did it or some other tiger.
After health checkup at Mala Guest House, the tigress was taken in a rescue vehicle and released into the forest under the supervision of officers and doctors. Forest officials claim the tigress is completely healthy. Her roars kept echoing in Mala Guest House throughout the night.
Mr. Khandelwal said, “Another tiger was found 12 kilometers away from where she was captured. But problems occur when a tiger remains outside for a long time and does not go back inside the forest. If he comes out of the forest and goes away after some time, then there is cause for worry. We just keep monitoring it.”
WHY TIGERS HANG AROUND
In the recent case of the tigress, she was seen roaming outside the forest for the last 3 months which caused terror in the nearby villages. The Forest Department, that was continuously monitoring her, explained that the reason for her not going back to the forest was that 2-3 big tigers were roaming in her area. That’s why, she could not go back to the forest even once in the last 3 months, and was roaming outside.
And, perhaps, that is the reason she resisted being pushed back inside the forest. Extensive camera trapping detected the movements of 3-4 big tigers in the area where the tigress used to live earlier.
Mr. Khandelwal said, “People felt threatened by this tigress and she felt threatened by those villagers. That’s why we took permission and rescued and released her in the core area.”
MORE INITIATIVES BY PTR
According to the latest census of 2022, 71+ tigers are in PTR, and 3 to 4 tigers here keep moving in and out of the forest. No direct signs are available but there are many indirect signs indicating their movements. And the reason for this is, the density of tigers is very high in PTR.
Mr. Khandelwal said, “There are also sensitive zones where there is human population around the forest. We are continuously fencing these areas so that the animals cannot come out of the forest. Till now, the Forest Department has fenced about 17 to 20 kilometres, and work is going on in more areas.”
Apart from this, another big initiative is the ‘Bagh Mitra’ programme. The Forest Department has appointed more than 100 tiger friends. These Tiger Mitras are volunteers who help the department in monitoring the forest and the animals. These tiger friends have been given proper training regarding tigers. Their job is to share any information related to tigers in their area with the forest department. For this, the Forest Department has created an app, where the tiger friends feed the data.
Mr. Khandelwal said, “As soon as information about the sighting of a tiger is received from a tiger friend, the forest department immediately becomes active. First, we try to get the tiger to go back to the forest, and for this they are pushed. But, if even after that, the tiger does not go back, then it is rescued and released into the forest.”
