Why have incidents of man-animal conflict seen a steady increase in the past few months? What is the reason behind the substantial increase in tiger population? To answer such questions, Wildlife Institute of India (WII) will conduct a research in several wildlife reserves across the state.
Along with Tadoba Tiger Reserve, six more wildlife parks from Vidarbha area have been selected for the study. The study will be aimed at finding answers to questions like the conflict between man and wildlife, deforestation, human interference in forests and an increase in the number of tigers.
Due to a rapid increase in the population of tigers, the Tadoba Tiger Reserve will be the centre point of the study. There are approximately 85 tigers and 22 cubs in the forest. However, as their numbers keep increasing, the forest area appears to recede.
The lifestyle of wild animals, tigers in particular, has been cited as another reason behind decreasing forest area. When cubs turn eight or nine-years-old, they become independent and start marking their territory. In the process, they drive away old tigers who were previously living there. As a result, these old tigers find a safe haven in nearby villages.
However, unable to hunt down wild animals due to old age, they tend to hunt domestic animals and attacks men who enter the forest area. Thus, there has been a sudden increase in incidents of man-animal conflict in the Chandrapur district recently.
The research will study these lifestyle changes and their corresponding effects on mankind. "There have been reports of attacks on men who have illegally entered these forests to procure tendu paan, bamboo, wood, etc," said NR Praveen, a forest official of Tadoba Tiger Reserve.
Forest Department has collaborated with Wildlife Institute of India for the project. Praveen added that the research will soon be carried out in a few more wildlife reserves across the country in the coming months. "The study will also give us answers to questions like the growth of tigers, their security, procreation, etc," said Praveen.
The Study
Along with Tadoba Tiger Reserve, six more wildlife parks from Vidarbha area have been selected for the study. The research will study lifestyle changes of tigers and their effects on mankind
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