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7 tigers moved to Kuno after 2010: Study
AHMEDABAD: The news that the tiger, T-71, from Ranthambore National Park (a tiger reserve) in Rajasthan, was sighted on the periphery of Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh (MP) has again proved that a natural corridor for the big cat exists between the two sanctuaries.

Further, a research paper, 'Tiger dispersals in the semi-arid landscape of north-west,' authored by Sunny Shah, Sailaja Nayaki and Jimmy Borahi has revealed that since 1998-99 as many as 11 tigers had moved from Ranthambore reserve to wildlife sanctuaries in MP, including Kuno-Palpur.

The research paper says that only four tigers had moved to MP between 1989-99 and 2010 but their dispersal had increased after August 2010. In the five years after 2010, seven tigers had migrated to MP.

The tiger, T-38, had migrated to Kuno in 2010 passing through Banas River, the Karanpur range of Keladevi Wildlife Sanctuary and the tributaries of Chambal River, says the research paper. This tiger reached Kuno-Palpur and has been thriving in the area where there are currently no other big cats.

In 2013, another tiger had reached Kuno, but it stayed there only for 35 days. It then moved to Dantia.

The eleventh tiger, a sub-adult from Ranthambore, was captured on camera in Kuno-Palpur sanctuary. It too had used the same route via Keladevi Wildlife Sanctuary and the Chambal River to reach Kuno-Palpur, says the research paper.

It argues that fragmentation of habitat could lead to a loss of connectivity and these tiger populations could become isolated as had been noticed in Ranthambore. Maintaining the gene flow between isolated tiger populations is important in order to avoid harmful effects of low genetic diversity and inbreeding.

Officials in Gujarat forest department, however, said that this is not the first research paper to prove that Kuno was an important sanctuary for movement of tigers from Ranthambore.

Sources in the forest department said that Gujarat has been emphasizing that Kuno was an important tiger habitat and that it cannot coexist with Gir lions if any of them are shifted to Kuno-Palpur. The officials said that the issue would again be raised in the 12-member committee and even during hearing of the petition pending in the Supreme Court. 
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/...s?from=mdr Reply