Kailadevi tiger births a pointer to space crunch

Kailadevi tiger births a pointer to space crunch

Context

Overpopulation in Ranthambore forces the big cats to often move to the adjacent wildlife reserve

What has happened?

The birth of two tiger cubs in the Kailadevi wildlife sanctuary of Rajasthan’s Karauli district recently has gladdened wildlife enthusiasts across the country, but it also points to a space crunch in the wildlife habitats which has forced the big cats to move out of the main area of Ranthambore National Park on their own.

Territorial disputes

• Forest authorities say overpopulation of tigers in Ranthambore National Park had led to territorial disputes, because of which the big cats were making frequent movements to the adjacent Kailadevi wildlife reserve, which had a size of 676 sq. km
• Kailadevi’s area has been officially included in about 400 sq. km area of Sawai Madhopur district’s Ranthambore to develop it as a national park with more than 1,000 sq. km area

Lacking support system

• The migration of tigers was a “clear indication” that Ranthambore lacked the basic support system for being administered as a designated tiger reserve. The national park had insufficient forest staff
• However, the birth of tiger cubs in Kailadevi had proved that tigers could live along with the villagers and their livestock in a habitat which did not offer much of the natural prey base of sambar, spotted deer, wild boar, etc.