Bhopal (Madhya Pardesh): It may sound bizarre but it’s true. The behavior of the urban tiger moving in jungles on the outskirts of cities like Bhopal is totally different from their counterparts living in deep dense forests or those in national parks.
The forest officials, who keep a close watch on the movement of the urban big cats, have a lot to tell about the behavioural changes these felines undergo.
A senior forest officer posted in Bhopal talking to Free Press said that certain behavior changes have been noticed among the urban tigers when compared to the feline living in deep forest areas. “Urban tigers are shy by nature.
They go into hiding by seeing the human presence. They venture out only when satisfied that there is no interference. The tiger crosses the road in a blink of the eye while the one living a life far from the urban cacophony walks on paths without any fear,” he said.
Moreover, urban tigers show signs of being a little bit lazy in comparison to their counterparts in the woods. The urban tiger often preys upon the cattle which are the easy catch for them.
Normally they don’t love to go for the long chase of their natural prey such as spotted deer. And because of this they gain weight at a faster pace. The two year old urban tiger looks like a four year old tiger.
What is more interesting is that in comparison to wild tigresses, urban tigresses leave their cubs much earlier. Normal tigress raises its cubs for at least one and half years, and teaches them the skill of how to kill the prey.
It is after completion of at least 18 months that it shuns the cubs. But urban tigress leaves the cubs within a year.
No Confrontation Of Urban Tigers With Humans
Urban tigers are shy by nature and don’t come in front of humans.
And because of this there is no confrontation of urban tigers with the humans.
They go into hiding sensing human presence. However, they are doing well in their habitat.
Alok Pathak
District Forest Officer, Bhopal
