Officials on tiger trail

JAIPUR: Wildlife officials are on the trail of a three-and-a-half year-old tiger that was reported missing' from Ranthambore National Park since last couple of months.
According to sources, the tiger named T-83 has not been spotted in the park for the last two months and the efforts by authorities to locate it so far, have not been successful.
The missing tiger is the offspring of tigress Machili and a sibling of T-1, a tigress who was translocated to Sariska Tiger Reserve in Alwar district this year.
The wildlife officials say that the tiger must be on the transit' and might have strayed into the periphery of the park as is the habit of tigers who keep changing their territories in search of partners.
Rajasthan chief wildlife warden RN Mehrotra said, "There are more than 15 male tigers in the park. It is possible that the animal might have strayed out of the park to the neighbouring areas." He added, "Some pug marks of the said tiger have been seen in the Khandar area and we are verifying it in the camera."
He said, "The male tigers do not keep a particular territory for long, unlike their female counterparts. "A male keeps on changing its territory in search of prey and partners. In this case too the tiger might be on the transit as it has achieved adulthood."
Mehrotra said the neighbouring Sawai Man Singh Sanctuary located south of Ranthambore had now at least four tigers. They are all tigers also strayed out of the Ranthambore National Park. He said the tigers come back after their sojourn as they do not stay in a permanent place. He also said that since the area is vast and hilly, it is difficult to keep a watch on their movements on a daily basis.
The authorities are on their toes as last year another tiger named Yuvraj had strayed out of the park. Later he was found dead by the park authorities. The park is facing a problem of plenty as the number of tigers has gone up to 32 from 25 in 2005 as per the latest census by the state government in 2007. Fourteen cubs have not been taken into account in this census.
Ranthambore National Park situated 175 km from Jaipur in Sawai Madhopur district is one of the best known tiger reserves in the country. It covers an area of around 400 sq km and was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1957.