Andhra census shows rise in number

“There were some unexpected sightings of tigers in the sanctuary’s buffer zone in Manoor area. It could be due to two reasons — either the forest has degraded or there has been a slight increase in the tiger population. There is no degradation in the forest and hence we assume that the number of tigers has gone up in the Project Tiger Area,” Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Sunil Kumar said on Thursday.

Surprise awaited forest officials as pugmarks and fresh kills were reported from new areas like Adilabad, Khammam and Warangal districts. This is the first time that tiger pugmarks and kills have been sighted in the forest areas of these three districts.

About 200 personnel, including 50 tribal youth, are tracking the tigers. “We counted 26 animals in Atmakura division in Kurnool on May 7 — 22 adults and four cubs,” a forest official said.

The rise in population is heartening for the officials, though one worry is that some of the big cats were spotted in the buffer zones.

However, Kumar said there is no danger to the animals in the buffer zone. “They may have strayed there. Once it is confirmed that the animals have made the buffer zone their home, we will take measures to protect them,” he said.

The officials are also counting leopards, whose population has significantly risen in the last few years in the sanctuary, that is spread across five districts of Guntur, Prakasam, Kurnool, Mahbubnagar and Nalgonda. Besides tigers and leopards, the sanctuary is home to wild dogs, antelopes and sloth bears and over 50 species of fauna.

There were about 100 tigers in the sanctuary in 1990, but a census in 1997 revealed that their population had drastically fallen to around 20. So, the initial reports that are trickling in have excited the forest officials and wildlife enthusiasts alike.