Why is the sighting of two tigers in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana worrying officials and people?

An adult Royal Bengal Tiger that travelled over 650 km from Tadoba Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra was spotted on National Highway 16 near Rajamahendravaram in East Godavari district on Tuesday night (February 3), casually strolling near a school and unperturbed by traffic. After being sighted again near Raghudevapuram, 35 km away, the tiger was tranquilised and captured early on Saturday (February 7) in agricultural fields in Kurmapuram village in Rayavaram mandal. Forest Department officials said the rescued big cat is a sub-adult Royal Bengal Tiger and has been shifted to the Animal Rescue Centre in Visakhapatnam zoo. It will be released back in the wild soon. Meanwhile, officials are tracking a sub-adult tiger in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri in Telangana, where the big cat has never been seen before. This tiger, too, is believed to have crossed over from Maharashtra, most probably from Tadoba Tiger Reserve. After it was first spotted in Adilabad, the big cat moved through Mulugu, Karimnagar, and Jagityal districts before reaching Yadadri Bhongir. “It is a sub-adult male and is probably looking for a mate or new territory. It has not attacked anyone, but man-animal conflict is possible near residential areas,’’ an official said. A study of 29 tiger cubs between 2005 and 2011 in Ranthambhore found that males had a greater probability of dispersal (92.3%) than females (36.4%). Males also dispersed further (4.5-148 km) than females (4.6-25.8 km) from the area of birth. Why then are officials worried? Both tigers travelled extremely long distances—over 600 kms— and are likely to establish new territories. Such long-distance dispersals have been well documented: in 2023, a tiger from Maharashtra’s Brahmapuri travelled 2,000 km across four states to reach Rayagada in Odisha. Last month, a tigress ventured 300 km from Odisha to West Bengal, and another tiger found its way from Uttarakhand to Himachal Pradesh, possibly as far as upper Jammu. While this is good news for wildlife conservation, their proximity to residential areas is cause for concern. The tiger near Rajamahendravaram was spotted near the gate of a private school and a religious centre. It has killed buffaloes and calves but has not harmed any humans. Officials have alerted the public to take precautions at night and to protect their livestock in shelters. East Godavari district collector Kirthi Chekuri declared holidays for schools in the area till the tiger moves away. The tiger in Yadadri Bhongir is also moving near residential areas towards the south. For both tigers, the possibility of conflict with humans or being killed by poachers exists as they are being spotted near agricultural fields and busy roads. Without adequate monitoring and necessary intervention, tiger dispersals through non-forest areas and human habitations may fuel man-animal conflict, eroding the goodwill that the national animal banks on. What is being done to ensure the protection of the two tigers and people? Andhra Pradesh’s Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Dr P V Chalapathi Rao said that the tiger near Rajamahendravaram may be tranquilised if it stays too close to residential areas. He said that permission to tranquilise it has already been given, and a special team from Pune is on its way. The tiger will be taken back to the forest area and released. On Friday, the tiger entered a field where men were working and moved into an abandoned house, but escaped before it could be tranquilised. Forest officers of Yadadri Bhongir and neighbouring Jangaon district are tracking the tiger, which moved towards Jangaon on Wednesday night. While it has not harmed any humans, it has preyed on livestock. Officials said that if necessary, it will be tranquilised and shifted to a forest area. Imran Siddiqui of Hyderabad Tiger Conservation Society told The Indian Express that the two tigers dispersed from the Chandrapur area of Maharashtra, where the tiger population has increased. “The tiger, which is now in Jangaon, should have been intercepted while it was in the Kawal Tiger Reserve area, but it was not. Similarly, the tiger in Rajahmundry should have also been intercepted earlier,” he said. “Now both have become problem tigers because they are too close to human habitations. They are looking to establish territory and a mate, and they will not go away easily. The tigers can be captured, but they cannot be released in the existing tiger reserves, which already have enough tigers and there is no more space,” he added. Why do tigers travel such long distances? As The Indian Express has previously explained, dispersal is natural for the tiger, a solitary, territorial animal that must eke out its own space with exclusive hunting and reproductive rights. A male tiger’s territory typically comprises smaller territories of multiple female tigers. While related tigresses (siblings or mother-daughters) may concede space to one another in adjacent ranges, every male tiger must establish its own territory when it comes of age. Given the scale at which forests are shrinking, young pretenders often face off against the dominating, mature males already in control of prime plots. If lucky to survive the face-offs, the survivor flees the victor’s territory and continues looking for a space to claim and accessible tigresses. This perpetuates the dispersal process. When excess tigers from ‘source’ reserves reach areas of low tiger-density, the hitherto isolated populations receive a fresh boost. Dispersal routes favoured by tigers reveal the potential for establishing and protecting new habitats and corridors. Sreenivas Janyala is a Deputy Associate Editor at The Indian Express, where he serves as one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political and economic landscape of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. With a career spanning over two decades in mainstream journalism, he provides deep-dive analysis and frontline reporting on the intricate dynamics of South Indian governance. Expertise and Experience Regional Specialization: Based in Hyderabad, Sreenivas has spent more than 20 years documenting the evolution of the Telugu-speaking states. His reporting was foundational during the historic Telangana statehood movement and continues to track the post-bifurcation development of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Key Coverage Beats: His extensive portfolio covers a vast spectrum of critical issues: High-Stakes Politics: Comprehensive tracking of regional powerhouses (BRS, TDP, YSRCP, and Congress), electoral shifts, and the political careers of figures like K. Chandrashekar Rao, Chandrababu Naidu, and Jagan Mohan Reddy. Internal Security & Conflict: Authoritative reporting on Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), the decline of the Maoist movement in former hotbeds, and intelligence-led investigations into regional security modules. Governance & Infrastructure: Detailed analysis of massive irrigation projects (like Kaleshwaram and Polavaram), capital city developments (Amaravati), and the implementation of state welfare schemes. Crisis & Health Reporting: Led the publication's ground-level coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic in South India and major industrial incidents, such as the Vizag gas leak. Analytical Depth: Beyond daily news, Sreenivas is known for his "Explained" pieces that demystify complex regional disputes, such as river water sharing and judicial allocations between the sister states. ... Read More