Tigress Tara spotted at Sahyadri Tiger Reserve on Chandoli safari route

Tigress Tara at Sahyadri Tiger Reserve. Pic/Amit Mane.

Two-and-a-half-year-old radio-collared tigress STRT5, better known as Tara, was spotted by a tourist at the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve on Tuesday.

Sighting reported on Chandoli's Zholambi safari route

On January 20, between 4 pm and 5 pm, a fortunate tourist had an extraordinary sighting of tigress Tara on the Zholambi forest safari route in Chandoli.

Tigress stuns officials with daring dam crossing

Already, Tara has astounded and delighted forest officials with her daring 1.5-km swim across the chilly, crocodile-infested waters of the Chandoli dam.

Tara was relocated from Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) to the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve (STR) in western Maharashtra on December 18 after being fitted with a radio collar, and was initially believed to be settling into her new surroundings.

Officials suspect search for territory or mate

However, forest department officials and wildlife researchers tracking her movements have learnt that she has swum across the Chandoli dam, possibly in search of a mate or to carve out a territory of her own.