Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary is expected to get notified as Tiger Reserve soon as the State-level Wildlife Board meeting presided over by the Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav has approved the same. The proposal will be soon sent to the Center for final consent. National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) had already given in-principal approval to the project in the year 2011. Forest officials said that if all goes well, Ratapani would get notification of tiger reserve in next three months. The proposal was pending since year 2008 for various reasons. Subharanjan Sen, PCCF Wildlife MP, said, “Some formalities are still there to notify the sanctuary as tiger reserve.

 

This would help to connect the locals with employment opportunity. People across the globe will be visiting Ratapani to enjoy the wildlife beauty.” According to Census 2022, the sanctuary broke all records with 310 per cent growth in its tiger population. In four years, tiger count in sanctuary near State capital Bhopal has risen from 18 to 56. The sanctuary area has abundance of 65 to 72 stripped cats. According to Census 2022, Ratapani Landscape (150 km area range) has 96 tigers including 7 tigers in Bhopal and 7 tigers in Dewas. Sehore forest circle has 10 tigers. As per Census 2018, there were 40 stripped cats in the landscape. Though the Forest Department claimed for 22 tigers, including 13 adult and 9 cubs, around Bhopal but after census report, real data revealed as 7 tigers. Forest department had claimed for 88 tigers in the landscape but only 8 tigers were increased in this census. Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary is the only sanctuary in State having higher number of tigers after Bandhavgarh and Kanha Tiger Reserve. It is commonly known in Madhya Pradesh that insufficient space for the tigers and leopards is giving tough time to the wildlife as well as forest officials. Like Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, now Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary is also facing space crunch for the tigers.

 

Proposal to declare the wildlife sanctuary as ‘tiger reserve’ is pending for more than 15 years. Forest officials and wildlife experts have raised voice many times to make the sanctuary as tiger reserve for safe and secure habitat to the wildlife. Wildlife activists said, about 15 years back, in-principal approval to declare the sanctuary as Tiger Reserve was given by the Government. At the time, there were only 7 tigers in the sanctuary. The sanctuary is spread over 925 sqkm of area and around 60 tigers, 150 leopards and many other species are residing in the jungle.