Panna roars again

Panna roars again

https://vandanamuleyblog.wordpress.com/2016/03/05/panna-roars-again/

Panna National park was established in 1981 and declared a tiger reserve in 1994. Situated around 25 kms from Khajuraho in Panna and Chhatrapur districts of Madhya Pradesh, it is one of the most beautiful tiger reserves of the country. Spread across 547 sq kms of core forest area and the 1,002 sq km buffer area it is rich in flora and fauna with deciduous forest and savanna type of grasslands. River Ken winds its way from south to north through the park. The park is home to several wild animals, notable being tigers, leopards, wolf, hyena, sloth bear, sambar, deers, chital, nilgai, chinkara and more than 200 species of birds

Of all the wild animals present here, Panna is famous for its Tigers. The majestic tiger in its natural habitat with black stripes on yellow, dull yellow or orange base is the most alluring sight one can see in wild. In 2007, Panna Tiger reserve was awarded as the best maintained national park of India  by the Ministry of Tourism, India. At that times it was home to 24 tigers. But by 2009 the entire tiger population of the reserve got wiped out, partly by poachers, partly by local villagers and some died due to old age and illness. As a result post 2009 only one male tiger was left in the entire reserve. This was a big setback to Panna Tiger Project which had earlier seen many tigers roaming freely in the forest.

Project to increase the tiger population in Panna was taken up in all earnestness by the forest department and two tigresses T1 from Kanha and T2 from Bandhavgarh were brought here. But by the time they reached Panna, the one male tiger of the reserve had disappeared. Those were the days when radio collaring was not implemented in the reserve and so movement of the tiger could not be tracked.

At the same time two female clubs T4 and T5 who were orphans were brought here from Kanha . They were reared in a facility created specially for them and  given a wild rearing so as to make their relocation to the forests easy.

Meanwhile Tiger T3 was brought from Pench to give company to the two adult tigresses in Panna. The staffers waited with bated breaths to see if T1, T2 and T3 adjusted to their new surroundings. Soon after its arrival T3 tried to escape back to Pench. To prevent T3 from crossing over to Pench  a ‘Urine technique’ was used to gain his attention and entice him to stay put in Panna. Urine of tigresses of Bhopal zoo was sprayed in the forest and in T3’s cage before he was released in the wild in december 2009. The technique worked and T3 trailed the scent across the forest and met T4 within four days of his release. Time, efforts and perseverance of the forest department staffers bore fruits and their joy  knew no bounds when T1 gave birth to four healthy cubs. T3 later sired four cubs with T2 in October 2010. The reserve was now brimming with 11 tigers for the first time since 2009.

T4 and T5 cubs brought from Pench were reared by Panna authorities for 18 months and now time came to release them in the wild, where they truly belonged. But their release led to a feeling of anticipation among the staffers regarding their chances of surviving in the wild. They had to pass the crucial test of learning to hunt on their own, coexist with other tigers and breed. The urine technique was again used to unite T3 with T4 in 2011. T4 was till then still new to the wild and had still not learnt to make a kill on her own, also she had never been with a male tiger before. The staffers feared for the survival of T4 in the wild. However the awkwardness between T3 and T4 slowly gave way to intimacy and in T3’s company our tigress T4 learnt to hunt on her own. This small but very important success marked the completion of the first phase of relocation of tigers in Panna.

                                                      T6 being released in Panna

The success of the first phase gave foresters courage to start the second phase. In second phase T6 an adult tiger from Pench was brought in to see if more cats could make Panna their home and coexist with earlier relocated tigers. It was a relief for the team to see T6 adapting to the new environment quickly. T6 not only adapted to the new  environment but also started mating with the other females of the reserve. Since then the two male tigers have sired more than 18 cubs between them. Today the tiger count in Panna has increased and as per the latest Tiger census of 2014 there are 32 tigers in Panna. These include not only the relocated tigers living here but first generation of tigers born in Panna out of relocated tigers who have now grown up and are breeding to give second generation of tigers.

The majestic tiger which had just a decade back become extinct in Panna is now regularly sighted by the tourists visiting the reserve. The hard work put in by the forest department, relocation of the villagers to the periphery of the reserve and sensitizing them about the need to preserve wild life has finally borne results.

 Best Time to Visit

Panna has tropical weather and the best time to visit is from 1st October to 30th  of June. The reserve remains closed for public from 1 July to 30th september due to rainy season.

How to reach

Panna Tiger Reserve is well connected by road from Khajuraho, Satna and Jhansi. Nearest airport is Khajuraho. Nearest railway station is Khajuraho at 46 Kms and Satna at 74 Kms.

 Where to stay

There are many good places offering decent and good accommodation in Malda near Panna. Jungle Camp Malda by M P Tourism at Malda offers excellent facilities and value for money for a comfortable stay in swiss style AC cottages. A restaurant serving authentic food satiates the taste buds and keeps our tummies full and mind happy.

For reservations please contact – M P Tourism, Nagpur – 0712 – 24423778