Fresh tiger pug marks near Tuljapur offer respite to forest officials

Fresh tiger pug marks in Kamtha village near Tuljapur have brought major relief to forest officials, dispelling fears of the big cat’s death and confirming its continued presence in the region, a senior forest official said on Saturday.

The two-and-a-half-year-old tiger, which travelled an unprecedented 500 kilometres from Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary in Yavatmal to Solapur-Dharashiv districts, had been missing since March 20.

Kishor Pol, district forest officer, Dharashiv forest department, said, “The area where the tiger was hiding was quite unexpected, and we had not focused much on it earlier. Given the recent developments, we have now extended our search to all nearby areas. We will continue monitoring the tiger’s activity and take appropriate action accordingly.”

The tiger, which entered the Dharashiv district in December 2024, was the first of its kind to be sighted in the region in the past many years. Since then, it had been roaming the border areas of Solapur and Dharashiv, primarily within the Yedshi Ramaling Wildlife Sanctuary. Following the tiger’s sighting in Solapur-Dharashiv, the principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF), wildlife division, Maharashtra, ordered its capture and subsequent relocation to Sahyadri Tiger Reserve by February 28 this year at the latest. However, the tiger’s capture was delayed, and it had gone missing.

After speculation arose that the tiger might have died due to electrocution, a large-scale search operation was launched in the Dharashiv forest and surrounding areas. Officials said, human patrolling and camera trap monitoring were intensified, while thermal drone surveys were conducted over the past two to three days during evening and nighttime.