A 3.5-year-old tigress has undertaken an estimated 140-150 km journey across the forests and intervening landscapes of eastern Maharashtra, moving from Umred-Pauni-Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary (UPKW), spread across Nagpur and Bhandara districts, to Pench Tiger Reserve in Nagpur district.

The remarkable movement of the sub-adult big cat has caught the attention of forest officials, who see it as an encouraging indication of natural tiger dispersal and possible wildlife corridor connectivity, offering hope that the forests of the region may still be connected enough to allow tigers to move in search of new territories. Akshay Gajbhiye, deputy director of Pench Tiger Reserve told mid-day that the last-litter cub of tigress F2 from Gothangaon in UPKW was sighted near Chorbahuli Gate in Pench on October 29.