Kolhapur: The forest department, which has been pressing to declare Radhanagari wildlife sanctuary as a satellite tiger reserve since long, has finally received a shot in the arm. On May 16, the forest officials found tiger scats in the Dajipur forest section of the sanctuary, which will serve as an additional proof for the department.
Divisional forest officer SitaramZure said, "The proposal to declare Radhanagari wildlife sanctuary as a tiger Reserve has been pending since long. The Sahyadri Tiger Reserve covers Satara, Sangli and parts of Kolhapur district. If the proposal is approved, the sanctuary will be become the second tiger reserve in the district. It would bring additional finances as well as more powers to the forest officials."
SavraiSada, a plateau in the Dajipur forest area of Radhanagari wildlife sanctuary, was where the officials found tiger scats. Zure said, "It was a couple of weeks old when we found it. As the tiger is a mobile animal and keeps roaming over a large area, it is difficult to spot the scats at one location frequently."
The sighting of tiger scats was the result of the forest department's estimation drive, which has been undertaken since May 13. The department has spotted some leopards, Indian Gaurs, wild boars, sambhars and other animals during the drive.
On January 31, a couple of forest officials spotted a fully grown tiger in Radhanagari wildlife sanctuary. The pugmarks had a distance of 105-110cm between them, which means that it was a fully grown tiger weighing around 200kg. "A couple of teams later found scats (faeces) in the forest, which was collected as evidence," said Zure, who had visited the spot then and prepared a report.
The estimation drive was carried out in Koyna, Chandoli, Radhanagari and Sagareshwar forest areas, of which the first two are part of Sahyadri Tiger Reserves. The key feature of the drive, which ended on May 21, was the use of camera traps on a large scale. Like the previous estimation drive between January 27 and February 2 this year, the forest department used camera traps that captured photographs and a minute-long video. The findings were used in ascertaining the existence, movement and variations in the flora and fauna of the forest areas.
SamratKerkar, the founder of Bison Nature Club, said, "If Radhanagari wildlife sanctuary gets the status of a tiger reserve, it would benefit people more as more funds will be allocated for their development. Radhanagari also shares its border with Karnataka. Hence, the state government would need to hold discussions with the forest department of Karnataka state as well."
