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Pench tiger reserve roars with 44 tigers
Vijay Pinjarkar| TNN | Updated: May 8, 2017, 08.19 AM IST

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NAGPUR: The number of tigers in Maharashtra's Pench Tiger Reserve has increased to 44 this year, as compared to 31 in 2016.



The increase of 13 tigers was recorded in East Pench (Sillari), Chorbahuli, Saleghat and Deolapar areas of Mansinghdeo sanctuary, and Paoni and Nagalwadi. Officials said that of the 44 tigers recorded, 22 are males and 22 females. "An official report is still being finalised. But, yes, the number of tigers has gone up to 44 in the 660 sq km area where the estimation was done. This number doesn't include cubs, which are around 7-8," said Pench chief conservator of forests (CCF) and field director Rishikesh Ranjan.

As per National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) guidelines, the Phase IV annual estimation exercise with camera traps was conducted jointly by Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT) and Pench Tiger Foundation over 21 days in January 2017.


The figure of 44 also includes a couple of tigers that have died since the January exercise in and around Pench. Since January this year, Pench has lost four tigers, of which two died in territorial fights. "Even though a couple of tiger deaths were not considered, increasing tiger numbers is also vindicated by death of tigers in territorial fights. It shows that growing Pench tiger population is crying for space," officials said.


Even as the death toll of tigers in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh has gone up to 42 in last 14 months, steady increase in tiger numbers in Maharashtra Pench is an achievement for wildlife wing and NGOs working in and around Pench.

Officials said five adults have been sharing common territory on the MP and Maharashtra border of Pench. However, during the exercise these tigers were recorded in Maharashtra Pench.


Wildlife conservationists attributed Pench success to former field director MS Reddy, who took over Pench when the number of tigers was 19. Reddy said, "I have not seen the report but yes, team work has yielded desired results."

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Even expanded Pench not enough for 44 tigers
Vijay Pinjarkar| TNN | Updated: May 9, 2017, 06.47 AM IST

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NAGPUR: It is going to be a tight squeeze for the tigers of Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR, Maharashtra). With 13 more added to the already existing 31 in the last year, there is just not enough room for all. PTR will need to quickly act to increase the core area to accommodate the 44 adult tigers plus another 7 cubs which will soon turn adults.

Pench currently is spread over 670 sq kms over (core plus buffer). The proposal, which will bring in a part of Nagalwadi located in the Salegahat range of Mansinghdeo Wildlife Sanctuary, will add another 80.45 sq kms to PTR. However, even this will not be enough to house all the tigers.

As per scientific studies, a tigress needs at least 20 sqkm area while for a male it is 40-60 sqkm territory. The 44 tigers (22 females and 22 males) will require an area of over 1,000 sqkm. If the proposal is implemented, Pench will go on to occupy 750.45 sq kms. As per Wildlife Institute of India (WII) & National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) guidelines, about 800-1,000 sqkm area is required for 20 breeding tigresses.

"This is the minimum inviolate area required to maintain an overall population of 70-100 tigers," says WII scientist Bilal Habib.

Currently, 138.40 sqkm Nagalwadi range lies in the buffer zone of Pench and has recorded tiger presence. It is a mixed deciduous forest ideal for tigers and other wildlife too.

The proposal recommends adding 80.45 sqkm area of Nagalwadi, which includes 29 compartments of reserve forest to Saleghat range of Mansinghdeo. This will hike the core area of the sanctuary to 263 sqkm from the present 183 sqkm. There are no villages in the proposed area which will ease the process of conversion.

"I have not gone through the proposal but will certainly work on the scope for expansion," said Rishikesh Ranjan who recently took over as PTR CCF & field director.

Interestingly, as reported by TOI on May 1, Mansinghdeo Sanctuary has been notified as a critical tiger habitat (CTH) in a merger of sorts with Pench and the sanctuary is now not confined to the buffer zone of Pench.

As per the proposal, Nagalwadi range in the buffer needs to be reorganized by dividing it into three ranges — Saleghat (56.43 sqkm), Nagalwadi (73.85 sqkm) and Suvardhara (56.95 sqkm). This will lead to better management of the area.

According to wildlife conservationist Prafulla Bhamburkar there is enough scope to extend Mansinghdeo Sanctuary which, in turn, will make Pench bigger too. "The entire Nagalwadi range needs to be declared part of Mansinghdeo. Besides, there are 9 reserve forest compartments on north-west of Parseoni and Khapa ranges outside the buffer, which ideally should have been part of the sanctuary," says Bhamburkar.

According to him, these areas are not only rich in wildlife but "are also connected to Kanhan range of South Chhindwara forest in Madhya Pradesh and form vital corridor to Satpura".

Bhamburkar said a large compact network of protected forest outside these compartments can then be used as buffer. "The entire area is about 200 sqkm. If reorganized, wildlife management can be better and poaching threats from neighbouring MP can be tackled. If Nagalwadi becomes core, buffer can be carved from Parseoni and Khapa ranges," said Bhamburkar.

According to experts, by itself 138 sqkms of Nagalwadi range is too huge to manage. The area is equivalent to Bor Tiger Reserve which is better equipped than Nagalwadi.

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