The central government has given its in-principle approval for Bihar’s second tiger reserve in Kaimur district. This decision follows a proposal from the Bihar government to develop the Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary (KWLS) into a tiger reserve, confirmed the state’s Forest, Environment and Climate Change Minister, Prem Kumar, on October 8, 2024.
Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR) in Bihar’s West Champaran district was the only one till now. “This is a major step forward for wildlife protection in Bihar,” Kumar told this reporter. “However, additional technical approvals from the Centre are still required before we can issue the formal declaration. The work on developing KWLS as a tiger reserve has begun.”
The National Tiger Conservation Authority's (NTCA) centre and technical committee gave its in principle approval at its 12th meeting.
The decision came in response to the growing tiger population at VTR, which is now exceeding its capacity. According to state officials, some tigers from VTR will be relocated to the forthcoming Kaimur Tiger Reserve to ensure sustainable management and an eco-friendly atmosphere in both reserves.
Prabhat Kumar Gupta, principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) said the forest department had pursued the proposal for years. “It is now certain that KWLS will be developed as Bihar’s second tiger reserve,” Gupta said.
Plans for the Kaimur Tiger Reserve include a buffer zone encompassing the Shergarh Fort, a major tourist attraction and 58 villages, which have been excluded from the core zone. This adjustment was made following objections raised by the NTCA to earlier proposals, according to a forest official at KWLS.
“The forest department has now designated 450 square kilometres of forest as prime tiger habitat, reduced from an initial 900 square kilometres,” the official said.
The need for a second reserve arose after the VTR reached its carrying capacity. The reserve is currently home to 54 tigers, surpassing its capacity of 45. The Status of Tigers Report 2022, prepared by the NTCA and the Wildlife Institute of India, highlighted the growth in VTR’s tiger population, which was recorded at 31 in 2018.
The push to establish Kaimur as a tiger reserve began in 2018 when then-Kaimur District Forest Officer Satyajeet Kumar reported the presence of tigers, their pugmarks and prey remains. Before that, tigers were last spotted in Kaimur in 1995.
Following these sightings, a team of experts, including the former Director of WII, AJT Johnsingh, conducted a site evaluation and recommended the sanctuary's designation as a tiger reserve, said a forest official.
Kaimur’s forests, covering an area of 1,134 square kilometres, are the largest in Bihar and boast the highest green cover in the state at 34 per cent. These forests also connect to adjoining wildlife corridors in Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, further enhancing their significance as a tiger habitat.