Catfight: Tigers clash on road, halt traffic for two hours in Pilibhit Tiger Reserve

Keshav Agarwal
Pilibhit: Two adult male tigers fought for two hours on the Madhotanda-Khatema road, which passes through the Mahof forest range of Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR), on Tuesday morning.
The clash halted two-way traffic as the felines repeatedly retreated to the forest and quickly returned to resume fighting.
Divisional forest officer of PTR, Manish Singh, rushed to the spot with field forest force, tractor and rescue vehicles.The tigers, aged between 5 years and 6 years, were driven deep into the wild with motorised vehicles. One tiger was bleeding from his shoulder.
Singh said, “The tigers had been living in the same territory in Mustafabad forest beat of Mahof range. The infighting resulted from their instinct to drive out any rival, especially another male. To prevent further clashes, four teams were formed to monitor tigers, including the injured one.”
“In anticipation of the fight resuming, eco-tourism on the towpath of Sharda river’s feeder canal near Chuka tourist spot was suspended for a day to ensure visitors’ safety,” Singh added.
The DFO said, “Wildlife experts and forest officials have observed that the reserve’s core forest area, spanning 620 sqkm, can accommodate a maximum of 30-35 tigers based on distribution of grasslands and herbivores. However, the reserve is currently saturated with 71 tigers, excluding cubs under one year, according to the 2022 national tiger estimation by National Tiger Conservation Authority. As a result, adult tigers are either straying into agricultural fields to establish territories in sugarcane crops or encroaching on territories of other males. This overcrowding is responsible for fights between tigers.”