112 tiger cubs spotted

Amidst reports of tiger deaths, there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel with wildlife officials spotting over 112 big cat cubs in national parks across the country. “This is one good sign of breeding among the female tigresses which we hope would check the decline of the endangered animals,” a senior official from National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) said. “There have been sighting of 112 cubs in reserves like Nagarhole (10 cubs) and Bandipur (12) in Karnataka, Nagarjunsagar (10) in Andhra Pradesh and Kanha (22), Bandhavgarh (12) and Pench (10) in Madhya Pradesh,” he said. In core forest areas of Tadoba reserves in Maharashtra, Dudhawa in Uttar Pradesh and Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan, 13 16 and 10 cubs respectively, have been sight ed with their mothers. There are total 39 tiger reserves in the country. Though the tiger cubs aged between one month to two years will not be counted in the ongoing census, officials pray for their safety as they are prone to various illnesses as well as poaching. In Pench Tiger Reserve last December, severe cold conditions leading to lung congestion proved fatal for two cubs aged around oneand-a-half months. Also, the mother tigers have to protect the cubs from their partners who sometimes kill them. The officials have installed camera traps and intensified patrolling to monitor their movement. India has 1411 tigers as per official estimates of 2006, half of world’s total count.