Chhattisgarh: Tigress Spotted In Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve, Raising Hopes Of Tiger Revival

Dhamtari: A tigress was seen in Chhattisgarh’s Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve  (USTR), offering hope for wildlife conservation efforts, forest officials said. The tigress was recently captured on camera traps and was also spotted in videos and photographs recorded by local villagers.Officials said the reserve has long faced challenges related to declining tiger numbers, making the sighting a significant development for the region’s ecosystem. Wildlife experts noted that the presence of an apex predator like a tiger is considered an indicator of a healthy and balanced forest habitat.Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve Deputy Director Varun Jain said the tigress is estimated to be around four years old and has been captured on camera traps on three separate occasions during the past 11 days. "Available data with the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) does not contain any record of this tigress. Therefore, she is considered a new addition to the reserve," Jain said.According to preliminary investigation, the tigress may have reached Udanti-Sitanadi through the Chandrapur border region of Maharashtra. Officials also said there is a possibility that she may have migrated from the Abujhmad region."The tigress's presence is not merely the return of a single animal but a sign of ecological recovery in the forest. If conservation and monitoring efforts continue, Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve could once again emerge as an important tiger habitat," he said.