On a scorching summer day in June 2024, our vehicle came to a sudden stop on a desolate road. Accompanied by a forest guard, I was returning from a meeting in the Sodlagondi Malijunga block of the Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary in Maharashtra. The driver was the first to notice something unusual. tigers rarely appear in this stretch of the corridor, yet there were five of them, resting under the shrubs beside the road. The three of us were astonished and I instinctively brought out my camera and began capturing photos.

Time seemed to slow down but we had hardly halted for two minutes before the forest guard indicated that we should move ahead. As I glanced back, fixing my gaze on the nonchalant animals, my face lit up with a mixture of awe and delight, and the fatigue from the heat instantly melted away. This sighting was particularly exciting because it had been nearly a decade since anyone had spotted a tiger in this stretch of the Nawegaon Nagzira Tiger Reserve (NNTR) corridor. Along the way, we sighted a mature gaur within 1.5 km of the tiger sighting. This is also my first time seeing a gaur of this size and at such close proximity. We also witnessed sightings of other wildlife such as peacocks, monkeys, and spotted deer. There couldn’t have been a better sighting on World Environment Day!

Tiger cubs in Nagzira WLS | Photo by Mahendra B. Raut

I  recall seeing this tigress earlier in 2021 when she bore her first litter of three cubs. Unfortunately, she had lost one of the cubs to a train accident on the tracks that pass through the corridor. A second cub was lost to a road accident in August 2023 along the NH 753, which also passes through the corridor. Following the deaths, we installed six signboards at the corridor’s entry locations as well as on a few other key routes. The Public Works and Forest Departments also installed new signboards and speed breakers along the road to prevent such accidents. Fortunately, this was the third litter that the tigress was raising.

Too close for comfort?

Last week, the residents of Malijunga village informed me that a tiger had killed a cow. The forest department conducted their investigations, and compensation was provided to the owner. The same predator may have also been responsible for killing cows in Jambhulpani and Sodlagondi villages, where the forest department has been actively granting compensations. Fortunately, there had been no retaliatory uproar on the part of the villagers, which would have been the typical response, even a decade ago. The villagers had been highly supportive of the Forest Department’s efforts and were even ready to take part in the alternative livelihood trainings offered to them. In collaboration with the Forest Department, the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), has been working to reduce anthropogenic pressure on tiger habitats, thereby, reducing instances of conflict. The Central India Tiger Corridor Securement Project, initiated by the WTI in 2005, has successfully facilitated coexistence among people and wildlife, especially tigers. This has also been the reason why the tigress, has likewise learned to coexist with humans and successfully raised her third litter.

Extending the success of the Nawegaon–Kanha corridor is part of the future strategy. Our team is working on several initiatives, including enlisting the local community’s assistance, reducing their dependence on the forest, and improving the technical capacities of the forest department for effective law enforcement. Working collaboratively with community-based organizations known as Green Corridor Champions (GCCs), and identifying and addressing risks in the bottlenecks in the corridors through a range of ground-truthing studies will strengthen future corridor management plans.

Signage installed by Maharashtra Forest Department & IFAW-WTI in Murdoli, NNTR Corridor

Beyond increasing the number of tigers, our effort aims to safeguard the sustainability of landscapes and ecosystems outside of protected areas. The emphasis is on preserving and enhancing the relationships between tiger and human populations. WTI’s strategy also aligns with the National Tiger Conservation Authority’s (NTCA) comprehensive conservation plan, which recognizes the importance of connectivity and potential tiger habitats outside of PAs.

Having a tiger in your backyard is never an easy thing to digest. However, it is remarkable how the people of Malijunga and Sodlagondi villages have demonstrated that co-existence is possible.

Mahendra is a Senior Field Officer in the Central India Tiger Corridor Securement Project