Pugmarks of tigers near Amoni village in the vicinity of Sukhi Sewaniya close to the State capital created panic among the villagers. They are of the view that the big cat might have moved near to human habitat in search of water as there are possibilities that due to intensive summer conditions water bodies in the forests might have shrieked or dried up.
Bhopal District Forest Officer (DFO) SP Tiwari while talking to The Pioneer said, "There are 28 tigers in the Ratapani Sanctuary besides about a dozen more striped felines move around the sanctuary in the forests of Kerwa, Kathotiya and Mandora while there are two big cats in the forests of Amoni."
"The population of tigers in the stretch between Ratapani Sanctuary and Kerwa dam has risen to around 28 from 19 in 2013. There were only 9 tigers in the area in 2006," said Tiwari.
Tiwari further said that the pug marks found near Amoni have been checked and found to be of tiger but denied that the striped feline reached near to the human habitat. "The pug marks are found in dense forest of Amoni that is in very large area. I had personally visited the spot and found that it is far enough from the village."
He also ruled out the possibility that big cat came near to the human habitat in search of water, "There is enough water in the nullah passing through the forest," Tiwari said.
He said that the entire tiger corridor that is around Ratapani and include Madora, Kerwa, Kaliyasot and Amoni have enough water bodies and in them there is no plenty of water for the striped felines in this corridor. Still we are keeping watch and if need arise arrangements of supplying water would immediately be made, he added.
The sanctuary is spread over 900sq km and about three dozen villages come in it. The region, however, has just 4 water bodies and few swamplands. Therefore, the tigers often leap across the highways to quench their thirst. Pug marks of the big cats along the wet lands that are close to the dam help forest department to track them and keep count of their numbers.
Notably, about a dozen tigers are roaming around the Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal at many times causing discomfort to the people residing on the outskirts of the city especially around Kerwa and Kaliyasot areas. Modern equipments installed to monitor wildlife in the jungles around city including E-eye surveillance system, have on many occasions spotted big cats movement near the city. Besides, there are reports of territorial fight among the juvenile male tigers in the dense forest area with the older striped felines to claim their territory.