Good news has come, seven tiger cubs have been spotted for the first time in Satpura Tiger Reserve which comprises parts of Madhya Pradesh's Hoshnagabad, Betul and Chhindwara districts.
Forest officials confirm the news and hope that with the increasing tiger population in the reserves of the State, the State may soon regain its 'Tiger State' tag.
Tiger Reserve field director RP Singh while talking to 'The Pioneer' said "Yes, seven new guests have arrived in our park."
He said while one tigress has given birth to four cubs, another big cat to three cubs. The seven cubs were recently photographed by tourists, Singh added.
"With the arrival of the cubs, the forest officials are anticipating that the tiger population has gone up to 65 to 70 in the park stretched over an area of 2,200 sq km," the field director said.
Singh said the tiger population was 39-43 in the nationwide big cat count carried out two years ago.
In the wake of spotting of the cubs, security has been ramped up in Satpura Reserve.
The State officials are striving to reclaim Madhya Pradesh's tiger State tag from Karnataka. In the last tiger census, the striped animal population was the highest in Karnataka, pushing Madhya Pradesh to the second place.
Six tiger reserves in Madhya Pradesh - Bandhavgarh, Kanha, Panna, Bori-Satpura, Sanjay Dubri and Pench - have about 257 big cats. According to 2010 data, the tiger population in the country is estimated to be 1,706.
Madhya Pradesh Forest Minister Sartaj Singh has also made claims that the State might regain the crown of being the 'Tiger State', when the next count is carried out. He said that the number of tigers has increased significantly and by the next census "we will have at least 300 in the State."