300 km across 2 states: Tiger’s hunt for a mate continues for a month

Amid an uphill challenge to conserve tiger population despite habitat erosion and poaching threat, a tiger has reportedly undertaken a 300-km journey over nearly a month in search of a mate, crossing over from Maharashtra to Telangana in the process. He is yet to find a mate.

While Maharashtra reportedly had a tiger population of 446 last year, Telangana had less than 10 per cent of that.

Tiger in Kawal reserve

Johnny, the tiger which started off from Kinwat in Maharashtra’s Nanded district bordering Telangana around the third week of October, has so far scanned Adilabad and Nirmal districts in northern Telangana, the Telangana Today reported. Nirmal district houses the Kawal Tiger Reserve, and its core region is where the tiger is reportedly roaming.

Also watch: How did 25 Tigers go missing in Rajasthan park?

He has toured the Boath forests in Adilabad, and Kuntala, Sarangapur, Mamda, and Pembi mandals in Nirmal district before re-entering Adilabad at Utnoor mandal. He has so far killed five cattle heads and sparked panic among locals in Utnoor. He was reportedly sighted on the Hyderabad-Nagpur National Highway-44.

Not unusual, say foresters

Forest officials, who are closely monitoring his movement, have requested people not to panic or confront the male. A tiger undertaking a long journey in search of a mate is not uncommon and winter is their mating season, foresters told Telangana Today.

Once the cubs are born, a male may leave the territory to the female and her cubs and look for another. A male can smell a female in heat from around 100 km and track her down, the foresters were quoted as saying.

Also watch: 73% in 50 years: How the global wildlife population has seen an alarming fall

District Forest Officer Prashant B Patil told Telangana Today that seven-year-old Johnny will likely find a female in these forests in a few days. He added that male tigers from Maharashtra migrate to these forests for a mate every winter. However, no tiger currently has permanent residence in Kawal.