Felids Interactions - Interspecific Conflicts

[Rishi]

Panna tigers face crocodile challenge
Apr 8, 2018

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BHOPAL: Tigers at Panna national park are being challenged by another powerful predator — the crocodile. Though the two hunt in altogether different territories, shrinking water level in Ken river due to in scorching heat is leading to frequent faceoff between the two. The lifeline of Panna national park, Ken river flows almost 50 kms inside the park and majority of the herbivore and carnivore depend on the river to quench their thirst, said Vivek Jain, the Field Director of the park.

During summers, the river shrinks and the water is present in pools, of which some are very deep, he said. The river has a large number of crocodiles and there is not enough food for them in the water body, especially during summer, he told TOI.

Under the camouflaged cover of rocks and stones, the crocodile ambush the herbivore who visit the river to quench their thirst, he said, adding that big animals like Neelgai or Sambhar are their favourites. During summer, big cats prefer to rest near the river in search of their prey. 

Principal chief conservator of forests (Wildlife) Jitendra Agrawal told TOI, “Tiger-crocodile encounter is very common during summer. Our staff have witnessed many fights between T-1 cubs and crocodiles.”

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After all the tigers vanished from Panna in 2009, Union ministry of environment and forest approved a proposal to translocate two tigers and two tigresses to the reserve. The one from Bandhavgarh national park was coded as T1. The female from Kanha was christened T2. The introduction of tigers did wonders in the park as their the number has now gone up to 30.


There are large number of crocodiles in the river that is shrinking as the heat intensifies. The drought in Bundelkhand has badly affected the river. Hemant Yadav, who was posted till recently as assistant director in Panna, was witness to the famous face off between the tigress P141 and crocodile near Bhoradev point, the river patch with deep water pool.

One of the staffer got an opportunity to click this picture while he was scanning the jungle in May 2017. The tiger-crocodile confrontation was taking place on the other side of the jungle which was territory P141. “When the tigress realised that the reptile had dragged the kill into the water, she jumped immediately into the water and looked into the eyes of the huge predator. However, she soon realised that it was dangerous to remain inside the waters where the crocodile rules and not the big cats,” Yadav who now works with the territorial forest division in Panna said. Reply