Royal Bengal Tiger Spotted At Odisha’s Sundargarh Forest After Two Decades

India accounts for at least 75 percent of the world’s tiger population. The Royal Bengal Tiger (RBT) was found in huge numbers at one point in time and hence became a hunting ground for poachers. To protect the species, Project Tiger was launched to conserve its population in the country. With the help of the project and awareness, there have been sightings at places where they had once become extinct. Recently, Indian Forest Service (IFS) Officer, Susanta Nanda shared photos of tiger spotting at Odisha’s Sundargarh. Susanta Nanda took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to share a few snaps of the Royal Bengal Tiger, which was spotted in the forest of Sundargarh. Reportedly, this is the first time in almost twenty years a tiger has been spotted here. He wrote, “Happy to share that one Tiger has been camera trapped in Sundergarh District almost after two decades. The Tiger cell of NTCA confirmed it to have migrated out of Sanjay Dubri TR. Must have travelled a few hundred miles to carve out its new territory in Odisha. Welcome!”

Social media was quite happy with the news and shared their opinion in the comments section. An user wrote, “This is really good news Sir. Where in Sundargarh sir, Hemgir Division?” Another commented, “Great News for wildlife lovers of Odisha.” Another commented, “That’s wonderful.” The tweet has received more than 12,000 views on X.

Nanda wrote on social media X, “It is a pleasure to inform you that after almost two decades, a tiger has been captured on camera in Sundergarh district. NTCA’s Tiger Cell confirmed that it has moved out of Sanjay Dubri TR. He must have travelled a few hundred miles to establish his new territory in Odisha. Welcome.”

In 1973, India reported a total tiger population of 268 which left everyone alarmed. After the introduction of Project Tiger, the number of the species saw a significant increase. As of 2023, there are a maximum of 3,935 tigers in the country and the average number is 3,682. Madhya Pradesh ranks first with 785 unique tigers present there.