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Tiger Watch
Since the inception of the VILLAGE WILDLIFE VOLUNTEER Program 11 months ago, almost every week has seen its share of landmark days. We are constantly learning new things about the land, its tigers, and the corridors they need and about the communities that live around Ranthambore. This understanding is leading to the lessening of human wildlife conflict.

The Village Wildlife Volunteers have been actively monitoring 6 to 7 tigers outside of the protected area through camera traps as well as the tracking of pugmarks. These particular tigers are roaming areas that are densely populated with herdsmen communities (from which many of the volunteers are recruited). Before the establishment of this program it would have been close to impossible to keep watch over these animals in such challenging and populated landscapes.

Earlier this week, the camera traps set up by the VWV revealed the presence of three different male tigers in the same location during the same period of time! That would mean three full-grown male tigers with overlapping territories, well outside of the protected area! Two of these three tigers were actually being sighted in the tourist zones of Ranthambore and park regulars would recognize them instantly ( T6 aka Romeo and T72 aka Sultan). However, now they have moved well beyond the park boundaries in typical tiger fashion, but in the past that might have been the last we would have seen or heard of them.

Today these tigers are being actively monitored by herdsmen armed with nothing more than camera traps and smartphones and they in turn, pick up more and more information and clues about their movements, their behavior and the new landscapes they wander every single day.

Please stay tuned here for more news, discussion and updates!

The Village Wildlife Volunteers are supported by TOFTigers India and friends like Subhro Bhattacharya & Ishan Dhar.

Reported by Ishan Dhar Reply