By Swetha Anil Kumar
After confirming the presence of a tiger in the Ratanmahal Wildlife Sanctuary in central Gujarat, the state has regained its status as a ‘Tiger State’ after 33 years, with the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
This development has led to the state being included in the All India Tiger Estimation(AITE), a major wildlife survey.
Arjun Modhwadia, Minister of Forest and Environment, announced this development in an official statement on Friday.
In the statement, it was mentioned that on February 23 this year, forest officials detected pugmarks of a tiger in the Pipalgota Round of the Kanjeta Range in the sanctuary. After which, the camera trap data was analysed, which revealed an image of a tiger captured on February 22 at 2:40 am.
The NTCA was then informed about the presence of the tiger after these findings, said Modhwadia.
The minister also said that the area is being constantly monitored since the confirmation of the tiger’s presence, and that the state Forest Department has begun efforts to strengthen the ecosystem for tiger habitation.
The availability of water and prey base, security, and fire prevention is being ensured. The sanctuary already has wild boars, blue bulls, and monkeys, and that prey base species are being augmented where required, said the Minister.
The Gujarat Forest Department has not yet received an authorised communication from the NTCA in this regard, the official release stated.
Modhwadia has said that this is a “proud moment for Gujarat” and added that the state has become the only one in India to host three big cat species – lion, tiger, and leopard simultaneously.
He also said that the last time a tiger was sighted in 2019, a ray of hope was raised, but unfortunately, it only survived for two weeks.