Finally, after so many man-animal conflict incidents in territorial forest area of Nagpur Division in last one year, the Forest Department has started working to mitigate man-animal conflict issue with intensive monitoring in territorial forest. To mitigate man-animal conflict in territorial forest, the department is planning to install mobile Artificial Intelligence (AI) based walls (AI Wall), install camera traps, conduct tiger count in territorial forest areas, sensitise villagers about man-animal conflict and translocate captured tigers to other tiger reserves. In last one year, around nine human deaths took place due to tiger attack in territorial forest, mainly in Parseoni, Ramtek, Deolapar and Paoni ranges. Due to sudden increase in such incidents, the villagers are also in panic and anxious about the activeness of the Forest Department. As a result, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) issued orders to capture problem tigers in these ranges and forest teams are busy in tracing the problem tigers. So far, the PCCF ordered to capture three such tigers in these ranges.

 

The tigers are still elusive and the department is facing tough time to capture them. “The day and night patrolling in buffer and territorial areas is still going on. We have installed cages with baits at different locations to capture these tigers. But the tigers are mostly coming out during night time when we cannot tranquillise them as per the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) guidelines,” Dr Bharat Singh Hada, Deputy Conservator of Forest, Nagpur told The Hitavada. Currently, forest teams from Bhandara, Pench and Transit Treatment Centre (TTC) Nagpur are working day and night to capture the tigers. “There is a need to carry out intensive tiger monitoring in territorial forest. So far, our main concentration was in core and buffer areas of tiger reserves, but the recent cases of man-animal conflict in territorial forest raised concern,” said Dr Hada.

 

“For proper monitoring we require around 100 camera traps to install in territorial forest. Currently we have 25 and we have started installing them in highly sensitive areas. However, for proper monitoring we need 3-4 times more number of camera traps,” said the officer. According to Dr Hada, there are around 15 tigers, mainly all sub adults, are residing in territorial forest areas of Nagpur. In Deolapar and Paoni ranges itself there are around 7-8 sub adult tigers are residing in territorial forest, even some of them are residing very close to villages. Similarly, 4-5 tigers are now dwelling in Parseoni, and one or two tigers in Ramtek. Earlier, tiger movement is common in these territorial forest areas as the big cats pass through from there forests. Now, these tigers have started residing in these ranges in search of new territory which is a matter of concern, said the DCF. While talking about the use of AI Walls, Dr Hada said, “Like Tadoba-Andhari and Pench Tiger Reserves we are also going to install 4-5 AI Walls in the next few days. These movable AI Walls will be installed near sensitive locations.”

 

For complete monitoring we require around 100 such units for which we are planning to get in near future, said the senior forest officer. The Forest Department is also thinking about translocation of tigers to Navegaon Nagzira Tiger Reserve (NNTR) and Sahyadri Tiger Reserve where the tiger population is almost nil. “There are 54 villages situated in territorial forest area of these forest ranges. The sensitisation of villagers is utmost needed and with the help of NGOs we have started spreading awareness about man-animal conflict,” said Dr Hada.