Nainital:The Corbett Tiger Reserve, considered as the most suitable habitat for tigers in the country, has now become houseful. Resultantly, tigers are forced to move out of the Corbett Tiger Reserve. It has come to light in a study conducted by scientists, who are worried over tiger's healthy living.
The apprehension is that the number of tigers at the Corbett Tiger Reserve reached the highest limit and the park is not in a position to bear further pressure from tigers population.
Also read: Watch: Tigress roams with her four cubs in Corbett National Park
Se up in 1936, Corbett National Park is the oldest in the country. Named after famous tiger hunter Jim Corbett, the sprawling park spread over 1288.34 square kilometers encompasses Pauri and Nainital districts. It core zone spreads over 520.8 square kilometers and the buffer zone encompasses over an area of 797.7 square kilometers.
According to the 2022 tiger census figures in the country, 560 tigers were recorded in Uttarakhand region. About 260 out of 560 tigers in Uttarakhand reside at the Corbett Tiger Reserve. Here the tigers, which used to live in an area of about 40 square kilometers, are confined to 8 square kilometers now.
Tigers are found to be migrating to the mountains instead of the plains. Corbett National Park has an important contribution in the number of tigers even in Uttar Pradesh.
Senior scientist Qamar Qureshi said, "Due to lack of space in lower areas, tigers are migrating to the mountains. And they are finding those places convenient because they have found a way to reach the mountain without any obstruction."
According to him, the number of tigers at the Corbett Tiger Reserve is continuously increasing and the pressure to shelter the animal is also increasing. "This is the reason of increasing cases of human-wildlife conflict are being reported in areas. The number of deaths of tigers along with humans have also increased. Corbett and its surrounding areas are recording the highest number of deaths of tigers," he added.
Around 181 tigers have died in Uttarakhand since the establishment of the state. This year, 18 tigers died in the state within nine months. Of these 18 big cats, 16 were found dead in Corbett and its surrounding areas alone.
This year, many smugglers were caught while smuggling tigers in Kumaon region. Corbett and Kaziranga Tiger Reserves have the highest density of tigers in the country. The tigers of Corbett Tiger Reserve roam in several areas pf Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The credit for making Uttarakhand third in the country in terms of number of tigers goes to Corbett Tiger Reserve.
