Tiger Movement After Decades in North Telangana
Coordination is under way among state and district officials to monitor their movement
NIZAMABAD: Forest department officials have reported movement of tigers across parts of north Telangana, including Nizamabad, Jagtial and Rajanna Sircilla districts, and are monitoring the situation.
Officials said the movement is linked to tigers dispersing from the Tadoba forest in Maharashtra through the Kawal region in Adilabad district into other areas of the state over the past year. Inter-district corridors covering Nizamabad, Jagtial, Rajanna Sircilla, Siddipet, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri and Jangaon are being tracked.
According to the department, the animals have been moving across short distances of about 6 to 10 km between locations. Coordination is under way among state and district officials to monitor their movement.
Officials noted that such movement had not been recorded in undivided districts of Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Medak and Nalgonda for several decades, though other wildlife such as leopards were present. The increase in tiger population in Tadoba and expansion of forest cover in both Maharashtra and Telangana are cited as factors.
Kamareddy district forest officer Oga Nikitha said movement of tigers has been observed in the region and was recorded twice over the past year between Nizamabad, Jagtial and Rajanna Sircilla districts. “To create awareness among people, we are conducting programmes,” she said, adding that senior officials are reviewing the situation regularly.
Awareness programmes are being conducted in mandals including Morthad, Kammarpally, Bheemgal, Sirikonda and Machareddy. Officials said advisories are issued based on field indicators such as footprints, and people in forest fringe areas are being informed accordingly.
