Hyderabad: The breeding population of tigers in the Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger reserve — Gundla Brahmeswaram Wildlife Sanctuary in Andhra Pradesh — is spreading to newer areas, out of the sanctuary area. The state-level Tiger Occupancy Survey interim report has stated that tigers have not only been seen at the notified tiger reserve NSTR-GBM but also in non-sanctuary areas like the forests of Rudravaram and parts of Chelima in Nandyal division of Kurnool districts, Por-umamilla, Onipenta of Prod-dutur division in Kadapa and non-sanctuary parts of Prakasam district and Sidhout, and the Badvel ranges of the Lankamalla Wildlife Sanctuary.
The study was conducted by the AP Forest department along with the Hyderabad Tiger Conservation Society, Centre for Wild Life Studies and Wildlife Conservation Society. Mr Imran Siddiqui, Wild Life Conservation Society-India’s senior research associate and Hyderabad Tiger Conservation Society founder, said, “As tigers are spreading, there is a need to bring more areas under protection. They have already started moving towards Kadapa and we are expecting them to go up to Nellore and Tirupati. With the support of local Chenchu tribes and NSTR field directors, there have been good results over the years. In NSTR, we found that more than 20 per cent of tigers are under one year old. This shows that they are breeding well. We found sub adults and mothers moving with cubs and are expecting some positive signs regarding tiger presence in Papikonda area of East Godavari district.”
Nandyal Wild Life Management division DFO Mr M. Siva Prasad said, “Part of Chelima is already in the extended core area of GBM. In the non-sanctuary part of Chelima, we found tigers on camera traps. In Rudravaram we are finding pugmarks, scat and cattle kills. But we didn’t find tigers on camera traps. We are working on declaring Rudravaram and Chelima as buffer zones and proposals for the same will be sent soon. There are two to three tigers this year. Tigers are moving to Lankamala Sanctuary in Kadapa from this corridor..”
