Baripada: An increase in the population of Royal Bengal Tigers at Similipal National Park in Mayurbhanj district has created happiness in the minds of wildlife lovers. Forest officials have said that if the tigresses in the park get a conducive atmosphere for reproduction, then in the years to come, the population will continue to grow. Currently, the total number of tigers in the park stands at 27, according to the latest census.
Regional Chief Conservator of Forests (RCCF) Dr Prakash Chand Gogineni said Tuesday that tigresses are not ready to mate under any circumstance. The first and foremost condition for any tigress is to find a suitable place where its cubs will be safe and plenty of food will be available. More than the tiger, it is the tigress which is fiercely protective about its cubs. It rears the cubs, provides them with hunting lessons and finally when they mature, the tigress lets them go on their own. It also leaves the male once the cubs are born.
Gogineni informed that the Similipal Wildlife Sanctuary had only four Royal Bengal Tigers in 2004. Among them, three were tigresses and the other one was a black melanistic male tiger. One of the tigresses gave birth to melanistic cubs next year after it mated with the male tiger.
Out of the 27 Royal Bengal Tigers in Similipal, 14 are females. Five of the tigresses in the recent past have given birth, though the exact number of cubs born is yet to be ascertained. It just goes to show the importance of a conducive atmosphere for tigresses.
Tigers usually have a life span ranging from 14 to 16 years. From the age of 11, they start getting old. A tigress will never mate with an ‘old’ tiger as the latter cannot hold on to its own territory. Once a tigress turns pregnant, it goes away from the male.
The rules of the tiger kingdom are strange indeed. The tigress usually allows those cubs to suckle her who she deems fit will survive the first six to seven weeks. The weak are neglected and sometimes they die. During the first six to seven months she takes care of the food for the cubs. Then slowly she introduces them to hunting so that by the time they are two years old, they are ready to be on their own.
Once the cubs turn into adults, the tigress is ready to mate again and give birth. Prior to that, she will never mate as the cubs cannot fend for themselves.
When contacted, former honourary wildlife warden of Similipal National Park, Bhanumitra Acharya said the Forest Department should immediately clampdown on poaching activities in the park. He feels that if it happens, the tiger population in STR will grow substantially in the years to come.
PNN