Two tigers spotted in forests of Lalitpur for first time
Two tigers were spotted in Lalitpur forests, marking a significant wildlife sighting. They may have migrated to establish a new territory, sparking excitement among officials.
In a significant wildlife sighting, two tigers have been spotted for the first time in the forests of Lalitpur district. The majestic predators were caught on trap cameras roaming through the dense forests of Daur Sagar and Lakhanjar over the past few days. These cameras were installed two weeks ago by the social forestry division to monitor wildlife activity in the area.
In total, 14 cameras were installed in Madvara range, four in Gauna range and two in Laitpur range two weeks ago.
The footage from the Madvara range recently revealed a tiger and a bear, sparking excitement among the forest officials. Subsequently, another tiger was spotted in the Lakhanjar Papda forest within the same range. Regional director Gautam Singh expressed enthusiasm about this unprecedented sighting, highlighting that the tigers were approximately four kilometres apart and under close observation.
“We are extremely excited with the two tigers venturing into the jungles of Lalitpur, a sighting never before documented,” said Singh. “It is possible that these tigers have migrated here to establish a new territory, which would be a significant development,” he added.
Singh has been coordinating with forest officials in neighboring Madhya Pradesh to determine if these tigers have moved from their habitat there. Notably, this marks the second instance of tiger presence in Bundelkhand region of the state.
Previously, tigers were spotted twice in the newly designated Ranipur Tiger Reserve in Chitrakoot, covering 529 square km in the Manikpur range. This reserve, fourth of Uttar Pradesh, was notified in 2022 to accommodate tigers from the Panna Tiger Reserve, potentially affected by the interlinking of Ken and Betwa rivers.
The tigers sighted in Ranipur had in fact moved from Panna, and they venture between the two frequently. The first photographic proof of tigers moving in Chitrakoot jungles was obtained in April last year.
Both Lalitpur and Chitrakoot are located at distances of 214 kilometres and 114 kilometres respectively from the Panna Tiger Reserve, which currently houses an estimated 57 to 60 tigers, including 40 adults, according to recent camera trap surveys.
