Tigers may prowl in peace in Sayadri

Vanishing tigers can take heart. If the forest department has its way, the state will soon have a new tiger reserve in Sayadri, covering two major forests. The final draft of the project has been forwarded to the Centre, says chief conservator of forests PSS Yaduvendu. He said the area met all the criteria for a tiger reserve.

Sayadri forests in the Western Ghats comprise two core areas: Chandoli National Park and Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary. Each has a small but assertive tiger population which, if provided adequate security, will be able to breed and multiply, feel officials. According to the latest count, Chandoli has two male tigers, one female and a cub. Koyna has four males, three females and a cub.

"Clearly, the tigers are breeding. Enhancing the level of protection will make things better," says Yaduvendu. Apart from tigers, the forests have leopards, Indian giant squirrels, mouse deer, pangolins, sloth bear, wild dogs, monitor lizards, pythons and even crocodiles.

Together with Kas Plateau to the east and Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary to the south, the region has been proposed as a World Heritage Site. Rehabilitation measures at Chandoli, from which 27 villages were relocated when a dam was built there, have freed up the area for wildlife.

The state government has started working on the plan. The proposal also seeks an increase in the number of posts of cadastral cadre. Now, one forest guard is responsible for 35 sq km area. Out of 33 villages in Chandoli and 50 villages in Koyna, 47 have already been rehabilitated (27 in Chandoli and 20 in Koyna). Another 16 villages - four in Chandoli and 12 in Koyna - are in the process of being rehabilitated.

"Twenty villages will continue to remain in the Protected Areas, though the human and cattle populations will be relatively low," adds Yaduvendu.