Much to the delight of wildlife enthusiasts and forest officials, two sub-adult male tigers have made the forests of Mulugu and its neighbouring districts — Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Mahabubabad and Bhadradri-Kothagudem — in Telangana their home for several months now and are attempting to establish their territories, officials say.
One tiger, aged around 20 months, entered the Venkatapuram (Nugur) forest area from neighbouring Chhattisgarh, while the other, about 16 months old, came from Peddapalli district via Jayashankar Bhupalpally district. District Forest Officer (DFO) Rahul Kishan Jadhav revealed that the first tiger was spotted in the Alubaka area of Venkatapuram mandal in December last year and has since made the Mulugu district forest its home. The other one entered the forest areas from Peddapalli. Mr. Jadhav added that both tigers have been living in the area without major incident, thanks to a sufficient prey population.
Pug marks of a tiger detected in Mulugu district. | Photo Credit: By Arrangement
“No major cattle kills have been reported in the district recently,” he claimed. A suitable territory for a tiger requires a good prey base, year-round water availability, adequate cover for hiding, and a suitable mate for reproduction. Male tigers often travel extensively in search of a suitable territory, making them vulnerable to conflicts with other tigers or local villagers. If they succeed in establishing their territory, they begin searching for a mate after attaining age.
