Royal Bengal Tiger Returns to Debrigarh, Raising Conservation Hopes in Odisha
Bhubaneswar: A Royal Bengal tiger has been spotted in Odisha’s Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary, sparking excitement among wildlife conservationists and forest officials.
The presence of the big cat was confirmed through camera trap images and field observations by forest patrol teams.
According to Anshu Pragyan Das, Divisional Forest Officer of the Hirakud Wildlife Division, the tiger is believed to have entered Debrigarh through the Dechuan-Lakhanpur forest corridor.
Authorities are currently working to identify the animal’s origin, gender, and movement history.
Images captured by camera traps have been sent to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) for stripe-pattern analysis.
To ensure the tiger’s safety and closely monitor its activities, the Forest Department has intensified surveillance across the sanctuary.
Around 100 camera traps have been deployed at strategic locations, including water sources and wildlife movement corridors.
Additionally, 27 patrol teams are conducting daily monitoring, supported by a three-tier night security system aimed at preventing poaching and tracking the animal’s movement.
The sighting is particularly significant for Debrigarh, which previously hosted a resident tiger between 2022 and 2024.
Forest officials believe the sanctuary’s improving habitat conditions and healthy prey base could support the long-term presence of the newly spotted tiger.
Wildlife experts have welcomed the development, viewing it as a positive sign for tiger conservation efforts in western Odisha.
The arrival of the tiger underscores the importance of maintaining wildlife corridors and strengthening habitat protection measures across the region.
As monitoring continues, forest authorities remain optimistic that Debrigarh could once again emerge as a suitable habitat for sustaining tiger populations in the future.
