Villagers living very close to Bhopal, in an area which is densely forested and stretches between Kaliyasot and the Kerwan reservoirs on the periphery of the state capital, have spotted pugmarks of a tiger repeatedly between August 12 and last Saturday.
When contacted, chief conservator of forest (Bhopal circle) S.S. Rajput confirmed the movement of a tiger. The presence of a tiger was registered in this area between August 12 and 15. The tiger was spotted once again on August 24 and after that it has been moving in this area. The territorial forest staff on beat duty had sighted the same tiger on the Kerwan hill on Saturday night. Earlier in the afternoon, there was also a cattle killed near the village. This forested area, contiguous with the Ratapani Sanctuary, is so heavily forested that it is difficult to spot a tiger moving in the area even from a short distance of about 20 meters.
Mr Rajput pointed out that this landscape forming the tri-junction of three districts — Bhopal, Sehore and Raisen — has very good quality forest with lot of trees and rock shelters. The forest belt is contiguous with Ratapani Sanctuary, which has witnessed a 70 per cent increase in tiger population from nine to 16 in two successive tiger census operations — one conducted in 2006 and the next in 2010.
On the prolonged movement of a tiger in a territory close to Bhopal, principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife) H.S. Pabla said that this could be incidental or due to territorial issues as the tiger population has gone up considerably in the Ratapani Sanctuary. Last December and January also, a tigress was seem moving in this area with two cubs, he added. Since there is no pray base in this area, chances of predatory attacks and man-animal conflict are high in this territory, Dr Pabla emphasised.
Two major educational institutes are located in this territory which was proposed to be declared as a PSP (public-semi-public) area in the latest city master plan which could not see the light of day due to court intervention. The state government has tried to declare this area as PSP despite objections raise by the concerned forest department authorities on the ground that this forested belt is contiguous with the forests of Kathotia, Jhiri, Imlana and Delawadi.