There was a good news and a bad news for the tiger lovers from the Kawal forest range in the erstwhile Adilabad district. The good news is that a tigress has given birth to three cubs bringing cheers to the forest officials at a time when doubts were being raise whether the reserve has any big cat or not.
The bad news was that another tigress in the area was left badly injured by an snare left by the hunters and authorities were making all out efforts to save the injured animal.
The news that the three-year-old tigress Phalguna has given birth to three cubs was confirmed by the camera trap in Kagznagar forest in Kumaram Asifabad district. Though the photos of the tigress with three cubs were taken in mid June, official believe that the tigress with her home in the forest around Sirpur-Kagaznagar had borne the litter in March or April this year. This was her second litter.
Meanwhile in quick response to the reports that K-4 tigress was injured, Telangana state government has formed a Rapid Response Team to look for her and rescue her life. The animal, reportedly injured by a trap set by hunters was moving around with a wire snare around her lower abdomen in Chennur Forest of Mancherial district. Camera trap revealed that the tigress was moving in Kagaznagar and Chennur in Kawal Reserve.
Both Mancherial and Kumaram Bhim Asifabad were earlier part of Adilabad district.
Telangana forest department has sought the help of Ravikant S Kobragade, wild life expert from Tadoba reserve in Maharashtra and Ajay Marathe, a sharp shooter from the special tiger protection force of Maharashtra. Rapid Response Team also include Chennu Forest Development Officer D Raja Rao and a member of Hyderabad based society for the Tiger Conservation Imran Siddiqui. The force will be assisted by veterinary experts from Hyderabad and Warangal Naveen Kumar and Praveen Kumar and Forest Development officer, Mancherial Ramalingam.
Interestingly the injured tigress is from the first litter of Phalguna. Forest officials say that they were monitoring Phalguna since the direct sighting in December last had confirmed that she was pregnant.