Young tiger travels 150 km from Umred Karhandla sanctuary to Pench Tiger Reserve in Nagpur district

A three-and-a-half-year-old male tiger in Nagpur district has covered a distance of 150 km, drawing the attention of wildlife enthusiasts. In search of a habitat of its own, the tiger set out from the Umred Karhandla sanctuary and reached the Pench National Tiger Reserve.

Tigers separate from their mothers when they grow up and establish their own territory. For this, they travel a long way from the forest where they were born. This tiger has taken the same path.

The tiger is one of five cubs of tigress F2 of the Umred Karhandla sanctuary, which lies on the border of Nagpur and Bhandara. Of the five cubs, it was the one that stayed with its mother the longest. It was born in the sanctuary's Gothangaon forest. It has now taken up position near Chorbahuli in the Pench Tiger Reserve, 150 km away.

The Umred Karhandla sanctuary is in the south-eastern part of Nagpur district. Setting out from there, the tiger went up to Chorbahuli in the Pench forest on the district's northern border, which adjoins Madhya Pradesh. This shows once again that tigers travel hundreds of kilometres in search of a habitat.

There has so far been no report of the tiger entering a human settlement or causing any loss of livestock during the entire journey. It is being said that this indicates a good wildlife corridor and habitat are forming to connect the two forest areas, Umred Karhandla and Pench.

The tiger was spotted near Chorbahuli on October 29. Since then, a Forest Department team has been keeping constant watch on it. Whether this visitor from Umred Karhandla will make its home in the Pench National Tiger Reserve or move further towards Madhya Pradesh will become clear in the next few days.

Whatever the outcome, the journey is the first evidence that tigers in Nagpur district roam freely, and that a good wildlife corridor for tigers is taking shape from one forest to another.