A male tiger from Tadoba lin Bramhapuri travelled around 2,000km to reach Odisha crossing forests in four states in search of a safe territory and a mate.
Generally, the forest departments come to know about such dispersals when tigers are radio-collared but the one from Bramhapuri in Vidarbha was not radio-collared and was identified from its stripes pattern.
This may perhaps be the second-longest tiger dispersal in the country. It must have crossed many hurdles including water bodies, riverine, mines, agricultural fields, roads, and human habitats. Yet, there is no record of the animal attacking humans.
Odisha has been reporting the dispersal of tigers from neighbouring Chhattisgarh, this is the first time a big cat has reached the eastern state from Vidarbha. According to the All India Tiger Estimation (AITE) 2022 released in July, the total number of tigers in Odisha’s forests was 20.
in June-July the tiger was reported in the state’s Rayagada district and it kept traversing between Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. In August, it entered Andhra Pradesh and moved to Srikakulam. In September, it was recorded in the Mahendragiri range in Odisha.