Bhopal: There is every possibility of an increase in the number of tigers in Madhya Pradesh, but without developing the corridor, it will be difficult to handle the increasing population of tigers. Forest officials believe that the current capacity of keeping tigers in the state is seven hundred. This figure is likely to be exceeded in the current tiger census. In such a situation, it has become necessary to develop the corridor. Otherwise, in the coming times, fights between tigers will increase, they will come out of the forests and the death graph will also increase. At present, there is not a single such corridor in the state, which connects one protected area to another without human intervention. This is the reason that the death graph of tigers in the state is also the highest in the country. 46 tigers have died in the last year.
According to the tiger estimate of the year 2018, there are 526 tigers in the state. This figure is the highest in the country, which is expected to cross seven-hundred in this year’s census. This situation is fine in terms of the pride and tourism of Madhya Pradesh, but it cannot be said to be better in terms of tigers. Because the tiger holding capacity of the state has not increased in the last years. Corridor development is being talked about for a long time but till now no positive efforts have been seen. This is the reason why tigers are visible outside the forests.
Tigers in excess of capacity even in Tiger Reserve
At present, there are one and a half and two times the number of tigers in the protected areas of the state. The Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve has a capacity of 75 tigers, but the park has 124 tigers. Kanha Tiger Reserve has a capacity of 70 tigers. There are 108 tigers here. The same situation is with the Pench and Satpura Tiger Reserves. There are 82 tigers in Pench and more than 50 in Satpura Tiger Reserve. Only Sanjay Dubri Tiger Reserve Sidhi is the only park where the number of tigers is less. In the 2018 census, six tigers were found in the park.
The first phase of tiger assessment completed
The first phase of the tiger census has been completed in the state. In this phase, forest workers have collected evidence of tiger presence (scratches on trees, traces of excrement, traces of grass, and footprints). The second phase has started in a dozen districts of the state. In which trap cameras are installed in the forest.
Many corridors in the state
Kanha to Pench Tiger Reserve, Pench to Satpura Tiger Reserve, Satpura to Melghat (Maharashtra) Tiger Reserve, Bandhavgarh to Sanjay Dubri Tiger Reserve, Panna Tiger Reserve to Ratapani Sanctuary, Ratapani to Omkareshwar Sanctuary, Panna to Madhav Tiger Reserve Shivpuri, Madhav to Kuno Palpur National Park Sheopur, Kuno Palpur to Ranthambore (Rajasthan) Tig Reserve, Panna to Ranipur (Uttar Pradesh) National Park, Sanjay Dubri to Ghasidar via Palamau Park, Jharkhand.
