A radio collared tigress (T-213 (22), that strayed away from Panna national park in 2015, has given birth to two cubs in the jungles of Sarbhanga ashram near Chitrakoot. This forest area is close to Ranipura sanctuary of Uttar Pradesh. Mother of T-231(22) was T-2 ,a tigress relocated from Kanha national park in 2009 after all the big cats were allegedly poached from the park in 2008.

" This is third generation of Panna tigers. Now the cubs are about 3 months old. After camera trap, our field staff spotted them. But now the tigress is hiding with cubs deep inside the jungle", said RD Sharma conservator of forest Satna. He said that there is enough prey base for the tiger family in the forest.

The tigress moved out from Panna to buffer zone of the park to north Panna forest division to Devendra Nagar in Panna to the neighbouring the forests of Barodha in Satna and then travelled further to reach Chitrakoot. "The tigress must have travelled more than 100 kms to reach its destination, "said a forest department official who was involved in tracking the tigress.

When the tigress strayed from Panna to Sarbhanga ashram forests in Chitrakoot, wildlife officials were apprehensive because the jungle is infested with dacoits.

Once dominated by dreaded dacoit Dadua, this area is still infested by dacoit gangs, police sources in Chitrakoot said.

After the tigress strayed and was setting up its territory in Sarbhanga jungles, the officials of forest department in UP and MP took turns to protect her.

" For the past many months, we have been monitoring her through radio collar on day-to-day basis. We also know when she kills an animal", said Sharma.

Before she mated with a tiger - that had also strayed from Panna to reach Chitrakoot -giving births to two cubs, another tiger was sighted in Satna. " However, in a tragic accident the tiger was killed by a running train near Majhgawan last year", said Sharma.