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Hindustan Times
20-05-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Forest officials finalise relocation of tiger cubs amid fatalities in Ranthambore
Plans to relocate the three Arrowhead tiger cubs individually to one of the three tiger reserves - Mukundura Hills, Ramgarh Vishdhari, or Karauli-Dholpur, are being finalised, forest officials said. Earlier plans to move Kankati, the cub of Tigress Arrowhead, to a biological reserve have been abandoned. The decision comes in wake of a tragic incident on May 11, when a forest ranger was fatally attacked inside Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (RTR). Officials now suspect that the same tiger may also have been responsible for the death of a 7-year-old boy on April 16 in a nearby area. Preliminary investigations point to one of Tigress Arrowhead's approximately 20-month-old cubs to be likely involved. Commenting on the relocation plan, former RTR field director Manoj Parashar said, 'It's a good move, but the behavior of the tigress and her cubs needs close monitoring.' Also Read: Same tiger behind ranger's death and April 16 child attack at Ranthambore: Official A senior Indian Forest Service (IFS) official familiar with the situation shed light on the challenges facing Ranthambore. 'Big cats are currently concentrated in Zones 2, 3, and 4 due to the abundance of water bodies and grasslands there,' he explained. 'Improving the habitat and developing more grasslands will encourage a more uniform distribution of tigers across the reserve', he said. He also noted that tigers are naturally dispersing toward the Dholpur and Ramgarh-Vishdhari reserves. The official raised concerns about the large number of devotees visiting temples within the reserve. Apart from the Ganesh Temple, there are nearly 150 smaller temples spread across RTR. 'Strict regulations are necessary — no permission for cooking inside the reserve, and movement should be restricted to forest vehicles only,' he said. Addressing the increasing tiger population, the official explained that the wild population is largely self-regulating. Cautioning against excessive interference, he added, 'Relocating a tiger creates territorial vacancies that trigger fierce battles, often fatal, among other tigers competing for the space. Forced interventions can disrupt this natural order.' Parashar also pointed to the dense vegetation in Zones 2 and 3 — the area between the fort and Jogi Mahal — as a major factor contributing to the recent fatal attacks. 'These are some of the highest tiger-density zones, and tigers need shade in summer,' he said. 'However, the thick undergrowth severely limits visibility, increasing the risk of surprise encounters', he added. He explained that after Tigress Arrowhead fell ill, she and her cubs were baited in this area, leading the cubs to grow accustomed to human presence — a dangerous habituation. 'The vegetation needs thinning — not tree felling, but removal of shrubs and undergrowth. Tigers stalk before attacking; better visibility can help prevent such attacks', he said.
Hindustan Times
14-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Tiger cub suspected of involvement in fatal attacks tranquilized near Ranthambore
The 20-month-old female cub of tigress Arrow Head, suspected to be involved in two fatal attacks, was tranquilized near a hotel located on the periphery of the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (RTR) on Wednesday, forest officials said. The tigress cub named 'Kankati' was tranquilized by forest officials after she ventured close to Hotel Macchan in Kutalpura Maliyan village. A forest department official said the action was prompted by safety concerns, as the tigress is suspected to be involved in two recent fatal attacks. Around 8am, the tigress was spotted near the hotel, attracting a crowd of nearly 1,500 people. The officials then decided to tranquilize the big cat. She was tranquilized at approximately 9:30am. 'She will be kept in an enclosure at RTR until a decision is taken by the state government,' the official said. Also Read: Same tiger behind ranger's death and April 16 child attack at Ranthambore: Official On Tuesday, the state forest department constituted a five-member committee to probe the incident in the aftermath of a deadly tiger attack which claimed the life of a forest ranger at RTR. Ranger Devendra Choudhary was fatally attacked on Sunday while on duty within the reserve. Authorities now suspect the same tiger may have been involved in the death of a 7-year-old boy on April 16 in a nearby area. Preliminary assessments suggest that the tiger involved in both attacks may be one of the cubs of Tigress Arrowhead. These cubs, estimated to be around 20 months old, have reportedly exhibited increasingly bold behavior around humans. A senior forest official familiar with the development said a five-member committee has been constituted according to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) protocol – comprising representative of NTCA, chief wildlife warden, local NGO, panchayat representative and field director.
Hindustan Times
13-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Same tiger behind ranger's death and April 16 child attack at Ranthambore: Official
The tiger which fatally attacked a forest ranger at Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (RTR) on Sunday is suspected to be the same one responsible for the death of a 7-year-old boy on April 16, officials aware of the matter said. The RTR administration has submitted a detailed report to the forest department, including recommendations and a request for further guidance on handling the situation. 'The tiger which killed the ranger and the one which killed the boy 24 days ago are the same,' a senior forest official familiar with the matter said. 'A detailed report has been sent to the government, with recommendations on how to handle the big cat', the official added. The victim, Ranger Devendra Chaudhary, was attacked near the historic Jogi Mahal area while on duty. Also Read:Tiger mauls 7-year-old boy to death in Ranthambore On April 16, a young boy from Lakheri village in Bundi district was killed in a similar incident near the Trinetra Ganesh Temple, also within the reserve. Preliminary assessments suggest that the tiger involved in both attacks may be one of the cubs of Tigress Arrowhead. These cubs, estimated to be around 20 months old, have reportedly exhibited increasingly bold behavior around humans. According to officials aware of the details said that after the boy's death in April, RTR authorities recommended relocating the tiger cubs to a non-tourism zone — specifically Lapur in the Khandar area of the reserve — but no decision was made at the time. Officials have also raised concerns about the practice of placing bait for the tigers near Jogi Mahal, a busy area close to the Zone-3 gate. According to one senior forest staffer, bait had been provided in that area because Tigress Arrowhead was unable to hunt. As a result, the cubs may have become habituated to the presence of vehicles and humans due to the repeated arrival of safari canters bringing bait. He said it is believed that due to this constant routine, the cubs likely lost their distance or fear of humans. It is possible that when the ranger's vehicle stopped during patrolling, the tiger—already present in the area—might have pounced on him. A forest guard who responded to the incident claimed that two cubs were seen sitting beside the ranger's body after the attack. They only retreated after warning shots were fired into the air.
Time of India
12-05-2025
- Time of India
R'bore tigress likely to be shifted to Taleda range after 2nd attack
Jaipur: A sub-adult tigress, the offspring of the famed Arrowhead (T-84), allegedly killed a 40-year-old forest ranger, Devendra Chaudhary, near Ranthambore's Jogi Mahal area, according to the forest department's investigation. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now This marks the second attack by the same tigress within a month, forcing the forest department to shift her from the wild to an enclosure in the Taleda range.A source said, "A proposal has been considered to tranquilise and relocate the tigress into an enclosure since she killed two humans." TOI reached out to the chief conservator of forests (CCF) and divisional forest officer (DFO) of Ranthambore National Park for comment, but they did not sources cautioned that confining the tigress could be a flawed decision, as the enclosure lies within the natural corridor between Keola Devi Wildlife Sanctuary and Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (RTR). In the past, conflicts arose when T-104, an aggressive male tiger, was kept in the same enclosure. "Wild tigers clashed with the caged T-104, leading to aggression from both sides. Injuries occurred due to the cage's iron bars," a source keeping a tiger in an enclosure within the core reserve area for an extended period is impractical, as it requires regular cleaning and maintenance. Experts suggest relocating the tigress to a biological park in Jaipur or Udaipur instead. Sources said that after a boy's death in April, RTR authorities recommended moving the subadults to a non-tourism zone inside the core area, but no action was activist Tapeshwar Singh Bhati blamed poor wildlife management for the situation. "Since Tigress Arrowhead was unable to hunt, bait was regularly provided, attracting vehicles and humans. The cubs grew accustomed to human presence, losing their natural fear. This likely led to the subadult attacking two people," he Rajasthan's environment minister Sanjay Sharma and Deeg-Kumher MLA Shailesh Singh visited Chaudhary's residence in Narayan Ka Kheda to meet the grieving family. During the visit, minister Sharma assured that the govt would secure a job for Chaudhary's widow in the education department instead of forest department. He consoled the family, emphasising that the state stands firmly with them in this difficult time. Sharma said, "We assure the family of our full support in all matters, including financial assistance from the state govt."
