Adilabad: A severe dearth of tigers in the Kawal Tiger Reserve has prompted the Telangana Forest Department to seek translocation of big cats from the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in neighbouring Maharashtra. A proposal titled ‘Project Tiger’, aimed at introducing tigers into Kawal, was submitted and has received a positive response from Maharashtra, delighting wildlife enthusiasts.
Following the approval of Maharashtra’s Chief Wildlife Warden, Telangana’s Chief Wildlife Warden Elusing Meru has sent a formal request to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) seeking clearance for the initiative. NTCA authorities are expected to tour the Kawal landscape in the first week of July to assess habitat conditions, officials said.
According to sources, Telangana officials have requested five tigers, including at least one tigress, ideally aged above two years, as such tigers tend to move independently and are more adaptable. They hope the tigers will establish families in Kawal. As a preparatory measure, tribal families from Maisampet and Rampur villages in the core zone have already been relocated to facilitate smooth settlement of the tigers.
Declared a tiger reserve in 2012, Kawal’s core zone spans 893 sq km, while the buffer zone covers 1,120 sq km, spreading across Adilabad, Kumram Bheem Asifabad, Nirmal, and Mancherial districts. However, the reserve has failed to attract and retain tigers as expected. The NTCA’s Status of Tigers 2022 report stated that no tigers were detected in Kawal, except a few transient individuals near Kagaznagar.
In contrast, Tadoba, located in Chandrapur district, bordering Kumram Bheem Asifabad, has a thriving tiger population. The reserve, which includes a core area of 116.55 sq km and a buffer zone of 508 sq km, currently houses over 40 tigers. It also draws thousands of tourists annually, generating an estimated Rs 150 crore in revenue.
Officials drew inspiration from the successful tiger reintroduction project at Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh. Declared the country’s 22nd tiger reserve, Panna had no tiger population in 2009. However, through strategic relocation from other reserves, the population has since risen to around 50 tigers, making it a model for similar conservation efforts.