Karnataka has always been known to harbour the maximum number of tigers in the country and the census has only evidenced this claim. The forests of Male Mahadeshwara (MM) Hills Wildlife Sanctuary showed 12 tigers in the 906 sq. km. Protected Area while two tigers were recorded in the 1,027 sq. km. Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary as per the camera trap recordings. These findings have led the Minister of State for Cooperation and Sugar H.S. Mahadeva Prasad to consider planning the declaration of these regions as tiger reserves.
“These areas have the potential to double their tiger count within five years, as a lot of them are young," says Sanjay Gubbi, wildlife biologist. He also emphasized on providing more protection to ensure the dispersing tigers find suitable habitats.
With the right measures, the Greater Biligiri-Rangaswamy Temple (BRT) tiger landscape shows the potential of harbouring 150 tigers within the territory.
Source: Times Of India, DNA
