Elusive creature seen in India park for first time in century, officials say. See it
In 1913, a tiger was spotted in Kalesar National Park in the Haryana state of India.
It was the last time the elusive cat was seen in the park – until now.
Wildlife officials announced that a tiger had been photographed in the park for the first time in over a century, marking a potential return for the species in the area.
Haryana forests and wildlife minister Kanwar Pal said in a Facebook post on April 27 that the state is proud of the sighting.
“The tiger was seen on April 18 and April 19,” chief conservator of forests, ML Rajvanshi, told Hindustan Times. “Both the images were captured by a camera-trap at the park.”
Wildlife officials believe the tiger entered the Kalesar park through another wildlife area to the south, Hindustan Times reported, but it is too early to tell if the tiger will take up a permanent residence there.
Susanta Nanda, a forest service employee, tweeted the image and said it was the first photo of a tiger in the area since 1913, but some comments said it doesn’t mean it’s the first tiger.
“Kalesar is known to have had sporadic tiger presence over the years,” cinematographer Akshay Singh commented. “Camera traps are very recent, hence (first) photographic evidence.”
The Kalesar National Park is 11,750 acres in the Shivalik foothills of India, Hindustan Times reported, and is known for having a diverse wildlife presence including leopards, elephants, wild boar and many bird species.
India is home to 3,167 tigers, the BBC reported, up significantly after decades of population decline.
Google Translate was used on Kanwar Pal’s Facebook post.
This story was originally published May 1, 2023 at 12:08 PM with the headline "Elusive creature seen in India park for first time in century, officials say. See it."
