Bengaluru: Its a baby boom at the Nagarahole Tiger Reserve (NTR) as four tigresses have given birth to three cubs each in the last one month alone. Precautions are now being taken by the Forest department officials to closely monitor the newborns and keep tourists away from patches in Kalhalla, Sunkadakatte and Nagarhole ranges where the tigress are moving with their cubs.
Speaking to media sources NTR Director H C Kantharaj said that while the birth of young ones was very good news, it calls for more safety. With 72 tigers spread across 643-sq km, the NTR has reached its saturation in terms of tiger carrying capacity. There are instances where tigers are finding their way into coffee estates and residential areas.
Same is the case with Bandipur tiger reserve. The department has counted 105 tigers in an area of 872 sqkm. Here too there are cases of tigers being sighted outside the reserve, he said.
According to officials, tigress with cubs in Bandipur and Omkar ranges have been sighted in the last six months, but there is still no official documentation of them yet.
Kantharaj added that coffee estate workers and owners are buying cameras to watch tigers for their safety and as documentary proof. In the wake of the spillover of population, the department has proposed to declare MM Hills and Cauvery wildlife sanctuaries as tiger reserves.
