Tiger returns to Gujarat: Ratanmahal forests now home to three big cats

Gandhinagar: Gujarat is now home to three big cats -- Lion, Tiger and leopard -- with tigers being spotted in Ratanmahal forests in Dahod.

According to Gujarat minister for forest and environment Arjun Modvadia, National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) in its preliminary report has already confirmed the presence of a tiger in the Ratanmahal Wildlife Sanctuary and included Gujarat in the national tiger population count.

However, so far, the state government hasn't received any official letter from NTCA in this regard, Modvadia said in a press statement.


While tigers were earlier present in Gujarat, over time the species became extinct in the state. The last tiger census in Gujarat was conducted in 1989, during which officials found pug marks of a tiger but did not actually sight a tiger anywhere. Subsequently, in 1992, Gujarat was excluded from the national tiger census, and the state lost its status as a "Tiger State."

The tiger currently residing in Gujarat was first captured in a Forest Department camera trap on February 22 last. During routine patrolling of wildlife movement by the staff of the Pipalgota Round, Kanjeta Range, large-sized pugmarks were observed. As these pugmarks were larger than those of a leopard, images from the camera traps installed in the area were analysed, and a photograph of a tiger was found to have been captured at around 2:40 a.m. on the night of February 22.

Modvadia stated that the presence of a tiger in Gujarat was communicated to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). Based on this, the NTCA team conducted a study in Gujarat and, in its preliminary report, confirmed the presence of a tiger in the Ratanmahal Wildlife Sanctuary and included Gujarat in the national tiger population count. The report also confirmed that Gujarat has a suitable ecosystem for tiger habitation and suggested measures to strengthen this ecosystem.

Modvadia further stated that the Gujarat Forest Department has already been making efforts to strengthen the ecosystem required for tiger habitation in the state.