Maharashtra tigress raising five cubs in a ‘non-tiger’ zone

NAGPUR: In what wildlife experts say is a rare occurrence, a tigress is rearing five cubs born to her nearly a year ago on the outskirts of Chandrapur town in Maharashtra. This is perhaps the first time such an event has been recorded in a non-protected area that doesn’t fall under any tiger reserve or sanctuary.

The state forest department released pictures and videos of the tigress and cubs, taken from camera traps in July, on Wednesday. Fearing an onrush of tourists, officials are not revealing the exact location of the tiger family.

“To avoid man-animal conflict, we kept their birth a secret,” said Santosh Thipe, the range forest officer.

Officials, who believe the cubs were born in November-December last year, nurtured the family by providing water and protection. The first sighting took place near an undisclosed village pond in January.

Among other protection measures, the official informed that movements of the tigress and cubs were monitored through camera traps and machaan.

“As the cubs are growing and in another year will disperse, more safety measures should be taken,” said Nitin Desai, Central India director, Wildlife Protection Society of India.