‘Royal’ wait for 15 yrs! In a first, tiger sighted at Dibru Saikhowa

Guwahati: A 15-year wait finally bore fruit for the Assam forest department as Dibru Saikhowa National Park in upper Assam, known for its wild horses and white-winged wood ducks, recorded its first-ever sighting of a Royal Bengal tiger.The chase, which tested every ounce of their patience, saw officials confirm the presence of the big cat in the park— linked to Arunachal Pradesh by a corridor and encircled by 6 rivers, the Dibru, Dangori, Lohit, Kundil, Dibang and Siang, making it an island park.For forest guard Santanu Phukan, the last 15 years were marked by uncertainty and patience. Since 2009–10, when forest officials first observed tiger pugmarks, repeated attempts in the park’s core zone to spot a Royal Bengal tiger failed.Last year in Jan, Phukan found the bones of a wild buffalo deep in the jungle, along with pugmarks, almost confirming that the buffalo was killed by a tiger. The discovery encouraged the staff, who resolved to locate the tiger.A year later their resolve was answered, when a camera-trap footage confirmed the presence of a Royal Bengal tiger in the park’s core area. While forest minister Chandra Mohan Patowary on Tuesday shared the image of the big cat on X, dedicated staff, such as Phukan, saw it as an achievement that could elevate Dibru Saikhowa and help it gain recognition as a tiger reserve.“For me it was an experience of a lifetime. But from this record of a Royal Bengal tiger here, conservation efforts and tourism will hopefully get a major boost, and the easternmost part of Assam will hopefully become a major destination for wildlife lovers,” Phukan said.Last year in Dec, more cameras were brought from the Digboi division, and Wildlife Trust of India’s cameras were added. This became the park’s largest camera-trap exercise, with 65 cameras deployed across Dibru Saikhowa, including 35 in Guijan alone from last year in Dec.According to the Kundaghat forest camp, pugmarks were reported on Dec 16 from Salibari Mukh. On Dec 19, Guijan range forest officer Debashish Dutta and his team, including technical experts, visited the site and reviewed the footage. A full-grown adult Royal Bengal tiger was seen in the recordings, with another sighting later reported from the same Kundaghat location on Jan 1.The forest officials knew they had hit the jackpot!“Since a tiger exists here, Dibru Saikhowa is definitely a suitable tiger habitat. It can be a potential location for tiger conservation,” Dutta said. He said the sighting could be the first step towards Dibru Saikhowa becoming a tiger reserve like Kaziranga, Manas, Orang and Nameri.