Tiger Numbers May Rise in Adilabad: Forest Officials
The officer added that a tiger was recently captured on a camera trap in Bheempur mandal of Adilabad district
ADILABAD: With the ongoing All India Tiger Estimation-2026, forest officials are hopeful of confirming the presence of tigers in the core area of the Kawal Tiger Reserve and a rise in the big cat population across the erstwhile Adilabad district.
Officials said clarity on the exact number of tigers in Kawal’s core area would emerge once the nationwide tiger census is completed. Preliminary assessments indicate that the overall tiger population in the erstwhile Adilabad district could rise to around 15, a development expected to be reflected in the current census data.
Most of the tigers are believed to have migrated from Maharashtra’s Tadoba-Andhari and Tippeshwar tiger reserves, with several of them now settling in forest tracts across the region.
Forest officials said the census format allows teams to record direct sightings of wild animals, including tigers, as well as indirect evidence such as pugmarks, scat and cattle kills observed over the past three months. During recent tracking exercises, teams reported finding multiple instances of pugmarks, scat and livestock kills across forest areas.
A senior forest officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said officials were optimistic about an increase in tiger numbers this time, including the possibility of renewed movement in the core area of Kawal Tiger Reserve.
During the previous census, no tiger presence was recorded in Kawal’s core area, as per data from the National Tiger Conservation Authority, though tiger movement was confirmed in the buffer zones, particularly in the Kagaznagar forest division.
In the past three months, forest teams have documented evidence of tiger movement in several locations, including Adilabad, Bela and Boath in Adilabad district; Jannaram, Tiryani, Chennur, Bellampalli, Kasipet, Mandamarri, Rebbena and Indhanpalli in Mancherial district; Jodeghat, Kerameri, Kagaznagar, Bejjur, Sirpur (T) and Penchikalpet in Komaram Bheem Asifabad district; and Pembi in Nirmal district.
Officials said the growing spread of such evidence has strengthened the likelihood of tiger movement extending into the core area of Kawal Tiger Reserve.
The officer added that a tiger was recently captured on a camera trap in Bheempur mandal of Adilabad district. Pugmarks and scat samples were also collected from the site. In another instance, a tiger sighted in the Boath forest range reportedly crossed the Godavari river and moved towards Siddipet, indicating long-range dispersal.