A tiger cub, said to be around a year old, has been missing from the Bor sanctuary in Wardha for a month. The wildlife wing has now launched a search operation.
Sources said the cub was one of three delivered by tigress Katrina last year. All three cubs were captured by the sanctuary’s camera traps soon after they were born.
While experts have not ruled out poaching or death, forest department officials said the cub was old enough to survive on its own.
“Other animals in the jungle, such as leopards and hyenas, could have hunted and killed the cub,” said Mohan Kothekar, a nature expert. The presence of poachers from neighbouring Madhya Pradesh is another danger, Kothekar said.
Uttam Sawant, the assistant conservator of forests, Bor wildlife sanctuary said, “Yes, one of the cubs has not been seen with the tigress for the past month. But that doesn’t mean it has been killed. We could not monitor the tigers for a month because of the incessant rains.”
According to Swant, the cub is around 11 to 12 months and is capable of making its own territory. “Cubs often leave their family for months and then re-unite,” he said.
The 138.12-sqkm Bor sanctuary was declared a tiger reserve by the National Tiger Conservation Authority in July last year. The tiger reserve is home to nine tigers, apart from several other species, such as wild dogs, bisons and leopards.
