Pune: The Sahyadri Tiger Reserve (STR) in Maharashtra is looking expectantly at two of its tigresses to help set a record. Forest officials suspect that the tigresses, Chanda and Tara, are pregnant. If tests confirm their suspicion, the cubs born will be STR’s first breeding tiger population, a major milestone in the park’s ongoing efforts to revive the animal’s presence in the northern Western Ghats landscape.
Both tigresses were brought to the reserve between November and December 2025 from the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve to join a streak of eight other tigers. Forest officials said the movement and behavioural patterns of the two tigresses indicate possible pregnancy. For now, they are closely monitoring the animals using field tracking and camera surveillance.
Tushar Chavan, Field Director of Sahyadri Tiger Reserve, said, “We observed that both tigresses had mated with male tigers, which led us to suspect pregnancy.”
Girish Punjabi, wildlife researcher, called the news encouraging. “If the tigresses have cubs, it bodes well for the reserve. Both tigresses are from central Indian tiger reserves, while the male tiger is believed to have naturally dispersed from the southern Western Ghats landscape. Gene intermixing is important from a conservation perspective.”
At the same time, he cautioned that it is too early to draw conclusions. “The cubs need to be born, survive, grow and eventually disperse to contribute genetically to existing tiger populations,” Punjabi said.