Born in Yavatmal sanctuary, tiger travels 500 km to Solapur district

Cub seen in picture is the tiger that travelled from Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary to Solapur and the adult is his mother T22. The picture was taken by a camera trap set up at the sanctuary in 2022. Pic/Maharshtra Forest Department/WII

In another fascinating journey of a big cat, a male tiger born in the Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary in Yavatmal (southwest of Nagpur) has travelled approximately 500 kilometres to reach the Solapur district, located in southeastern Maharashtra. Sources from the Maharashtra Forest Department told this newspaper that they are closely monitoring the tiger's movement. Camera traps have been installed in the area where the tiger is currently located to track its further movements. At present, the young male tiger is said to be in Barshi taluka of Solapur district.

According to researchers, the male tiger is the cub of tigress T22 from Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary and was born there in 2022.

In Solapur district, some farmers alerted forest department officials to an increase in cattle attacks over the past weeks. Following these reports, the department installed camera traps, which revealed the presence of the male tiger. This marks the first recorded sighting of a tiger at the Yedshi Ramalinga Wildlife Sanctuary in Dharashiv district, Marathwada. The big cat has since entered Barshi taluka of Solapur district.

Senior Scientist Dr Bilal Habib from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) stated: "A male tiger, born in 2022 at Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, has travelled from its birthplace to Solapur district. This young dispersing male's journey highlights that the landscape remains suitable for tiger movement, with males particularly utilising it to explore new areas."

The 2.5-year-old tiger is believed to have travelled in search of new territory.

"Most territories in the Central Indian landscape are already occupied, prompting young male tigers to travel in search of new areas. While we previously observed tigers heading toward the Kawal Tiger Reserve in Telangana, this movement pattern has shifted in the past four to five years, with tigers now venturing in different directions. We are investigating the reasons behind this shift toward the Marathwada region - whether it is due to linear infrastructure projects or other factors," said Dr Bilal Habib.

In Maharashtra, tigers are being monitored as part of a long-term research initiative - a collaborative effort between the Maharashtra Forest Department and the WII.
Kushagra Pathak, deputy conservator of forest (Solapur), and BA Pol, deputy conservator of forest (Dharashiv), along with their teams and the Pune-based organisation RESQ Charitable Trust, are tracking the tiger's movements.

Neha Panchamiya, founder and president of RESQ Charitable Trust, said, "The RESQ CT team has been assisting the Dharashiv and Solapur Forest Department on the ground in tracking and monitoring the tiger since December 12. We are also conducting Primary Response Team (PRT) training. This is a dispersed young male tiger searching for a suitable habitat to settle and establish territory. Current efforts focus on tracking, preventing human-wildlife conflict, and ensuring safety for both humans and animals."

OfficialsSpeak

BA Pol said, "Our forest department teams, along with experts, are keeping a close watch on the tiger's movements using camera traps and thermal drones.
We are also visiting villages and human settlements in the area to raise awareness and prevent any negative interactions between humans and the tiger."
Pol added that the tiger might have travelled from Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary to Painganga Wildlife Sanctuary in Yavatmal, then to Nanded district in Marathwada, before moving to Latur district, Yedshi Ramalinga Wildlife Sanctuary in Dharashiv district, and finally Barshi taluka in Solapur district.
The tiger has been entering Solapur district and returning to Dharashiv.

2022
Year the male tiger was born

T3C1, the traveller

In 2021, a young male tiger, T3C1, walked from Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary in Vidarbha to Gautala Autramghat Wildlife Sanctuary in Aurangabad, covering 330 kilometres. Remarkably, this tiger's journey from Pandharkawda to Gautala occurred without any human-animal conflict incidents.
The tiger was first captured on a camera trap on March 15, 2021. Forest department officials confirmed that this was the first tiger sighted in Gautala Autramghat Wildlife Sanctuary since 1940. After matching the tiger's image with their database, they identified it as T3C1 (Walker 2), a two-year-old tiger from Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary.

Experts believe T3C1's journey spanned Pandharkawda, Umarkhed, parts of Telangana, Akola, Dnyanganga (Buldhana), Hingoli, and Gautala via the Ajanta mountain ranges, covering nearly 2,000 kilometres.