Alwar: The rise in tiger straying incidents has left Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan's Alwar worried and several measures are underway to address the issue.
In the last two and a half years many young tigers have crossed the threshold of Alwar and reached not only Jaipur and Dausa but even travelled to Haryana. It is apprehended that the tiger count at the reserve may dip due to such cases. Presently, the tiger count in Sariska stands at 42.
According to experts, the tiger cubs in Sariska have grown up and this is leading to territorial conflicts between the big cats. Tigers, who had so long been roaming in Sariska, do not approve of the young tigers settling in their territories. Due to this space crunch many young tigers are leaving Sariska to look for new homes.
In the last few years, nearly four tigers have strayed out of Sariska. Around two and a half years ago, young tiger ST-24 reached the forest of Jamwa Ramgarh via Ajabgarh range. After this, tiger ST-2305 wandered out of Sariska, reaching Jaipur rural forest area via Rajgarh forest area.
This was followed by another young tiger, ST-2303, that left Sariska twice and reached Rewari forest area of Haryana. It was tranquilised as per the orders of NTCA and sent to Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve. Another young tiger, ST-13, is said to be missing for the last few years.
On the first day of 2025, a young tiger of Sariska reached Bandikui forest area of Dausa district. It is suspected that this tiger is ST-2402. Ranger Shankar Singh, who is part of the team that went to tranquilize the tiger, said work is currently underway.
Monitoring stray tigers becoming difficult.
Several teams are deployed to monitor tigers that stray out of Sariska. However, this is becoming tough in the last few years due to the shortage of forest personnel. Despite this, teams are being engaged for constant monitoring of stray tigers.
There are around 29 villages in and around the core area of Sariska Tiger Reserve so a significant portion of the land is occupied for human activities. Tigers avoid creating their territory in this area. This is the reason why tigers are running out of space in Sariska and the young ones have started searching for nearby forest areas for their territory. Only five villages have been displaced in Sariska so far for creating additional space for tigers.
Sariska chief conservator of forests Sangram Singh said a team of forest workers is constantly monitoring the stray tigers and efforts are underway to bring back these tigers.
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