Royal Bengal tigers fight for supremacy in Odisha's Similipal Tiger Reserve
Bhubaneswar: A fight between two Royal Bengal tigers at Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district has been caught on camera, indicating the growing population of the species in the region.
The image of the brawl between the two big cats was shared on STR’s official X handle on Monday.
The clash between the two male tigers came as a pleasant piece of news to wildlife lovers as they viewed it as a positive sign of the rise in the number of big cat populations in the STR.
Until recently, wildlife experts were disappointed as the STR was often found mentioned in the news for unhindered poaching activities, resulting in the dwindling in the number of many wildlife species.
The fight, as the STR authorities, was between tigers T35 and T31, two male tigers.
“He is T35, a young tiger trying to claim territory. Got into a fight with T31. Seems to be victorious as it confidently patrols its area. Have you marked the dark pattern on the forehead?” tweeted STR on its official X handle.
“We were able to notice the fight between the two big cats for a week from November 9. The image has been shared to create awareness about the Royal Bengal Tigers at Similipal Tiger Reserve, “said Prakash Chandra, Regional Chief Conservator of Forest (RCCF), Similipal
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) Sushant Nanda also shared two separate photographs of the victorious tiger on his X handle. “Dispersing males from Simlipal Tiger Reserve. What’s unusual in the right photo?”
Environmentalist A. K. Singh said, “I congratulate those who managed to take pictures of the fight. The pattern of tigers usually differs. Usually, the fight occurs when a tiger gets separated from its mother and establishes its territory. I was hopeful that there were more tigers and they could not be counted properly.”
Singh further said tiger sighting has been done but due to extensive use of technology, the phenomenon has been captured on camera.
“Cameras are being installed at different locations. The tiger has been captured in one of the cameras from a distance and it has been captured well,” Singh added.
