A wildlife enthusiast recently captured a video of an adult tiger in the forests of Sindhudurg district, located around 500 km southwest of Mumbai. This sighting is significant, as a study conducted last year by the Maharashtra Forest Department and Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT) recorded a population of 10 tigers using the Sindhudurg–Satara corridor. Darshan Vengurlekar, a wildlife lover who has been documenting biodiversity in Sindhudurg and nearby regions, had recently travelled from Malvan towards Dodamarg.

“I had gone towards Dodamarg from Malvan a few days ago with my friends. While returning through a forested patch in Sindhudurg district, we saw a large animal crossing the road. To our surprise, we realised it was a fully grown adult tiger. Without wasting any time, I switched on my camera and recorded a video of the tiger. Seeing a tiger in this landscape indicates that the area has a good forest cover. I believe that with support from local residents, the forest department should plan better conservation initiatives to keep the wildlife corridor intact,” said Vengurlekar. This isn’t Vengurlekar’s first tiger-related encounter in the region. On an earlier occasion, he had also spotted tiger pugmarks in the forests of Sindhudurg district.