Camera trap confirms tiger’s presence

BENGALURU: On International Tiger Day (July 29) out came some good news from the wild— people needn’t travel all the way to Bandipur and Nagarahole in search of a wild tiger. If you are lucky enough, you could spot a big cat during a safari at Bannerghatta National Park (BNP), barely 37kms from the city.
Recent camera trap evidence available with the forest department has reconfirmed that the wild tiger sighted earlier this month in the park is not a stray one or a tiger in transit.An analysis of the images and video makes it amply clear that the tiger has established its territory and has made Bannerghatta its new home, say officials.
Visitors, during a safari on July 4, were in for a pleasant surprise when they spotting a wild tiger for the first time at BNP.
The incident made much news as the park doesn’t host wild tigers and the nearest breeding population for big cats is 90km away. Following the sighting, the forest department installed close-circuit cameras at selected locations in the park to analyze the big cat’s movements.
Range Gowda, executive director, Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP), that’s part of BNP, said over the past few days they have got several images and videos tracking the tiger’s movement.
“Also, our ground-staff has proof of tiger kill, including a Sambar deer. These clues indicate the tiger has established its territory inside the park,” he added.
Wildlife experts see the entrance of the wild tiger as a good sign and attribute it to conservation efforts over the years. BNP is now connected to Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, a protected area covering Ramanagar, Mandya and Chamarajanagar districts. The sanctuary, along with the adjacent MM Hills, is home to 25-odd wild tigers. Experts say the big cat at Bannerghatta could have come from the Cauvery Sanctuary or from the forests of Tamil Nadu that connected to BNP.
“The park is well protected and we haven’t issued any special advisory. However, we have instructed officials to alert villagers in the vicinity not to venture into the forest area with cattle or to collect fire wood. Failure to abide by the instructions will amount to violation of wildlife rules,” said Gowda.