Bhubaneswar: T35, a Royal Bengal Tiger (RBT) of Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) fought with another RBT- T31 for its territory inside the STR last month and got victory, an official said.
Sharing a picture and video of T35 roaming in its territory inside the STR in X, the STR said, “He is T35 a young tiger trying to claim his territory. Got into a fight with T31 Seems to be victorious as it confidently patrols its area. Have you marked the dark pattern on your forehead?”
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) Wildlife Susanta Nanda has also shared two beautiful pictures of the two tigers, of which one is melanistic tiger, who lost the fight to T35. The T35 has a black mark at his forehead, which is also unique.
Regional Chief Conservator of Forests (RCCF), Similipal National Park, Prakash Chandra Gogineni said the tigers usually fight to secure their territory every two to three years. “We noticed that T31 left the place after having a fight for a week from November 9. Now, T35 was seen roaming alone in the area. Three female tigresses, which were also visiting the territory, left the place.”
Shri Gogineni also informed that 35 Royal Bengal Tigers have been noticed inside the STR so far during the ongoing tiger census in the National Park in Mayurbhanj district. However, he said, the total outcome of the census will be declared after January 25.
According to All-India Tiger Estimation (AITE) 2022 released in July, the total number of tigers in Odisha’s forests has come down to 20 in 2022 from 45 in 2006 with one of its two notified tiger reserves, the Satkosia Tiger Reserve, left with none.
Between 2018 and 2022, the State registered a drop in the population of the big cat from 28 to 20 with STR as the only silver lining, which saw the number double from eight to 16 during the period.
Unhappy over the Census report and its methodology, the State alleged that not enough camera traps were put up and large inviolate areas and suitable habitats in south Odisha were not taken into account by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) in the latest all India estimation of tigers. Therefore, the State has been conducting its own Tiger Census across the State.