Three new tiger cubs have been spotted at the Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan, bringing cheer to wildlife enthusiasts.
The cubs of tigress T-17, also known as Sundari, were spotted Friday morning in the Rajbagh area of the park.
“The cubs were spotted earlier in the day today and we have set up trap cameras in the area and increased tracking by forest officials, for their safety,” a forest official said.
According to officials, the park is home to around 24 adult tigers and around 26 cubs, including the three spotted Friday.
The total number of big cats is likely to be officially declared soon as the forest department had conducted a tiger census in May this year.
Other wildlife species at the Ranthambore park include leopards, wild pigs, various types of deer, and monkeys.
“It is indeed a matter of celebration among tiger and wildlife enthusiasts,” Rajasthan Minister of Forests & Environment Bina Kak said of the newborn cubs.
Sundari – the name given to T17 by the minister herself – has been normally seen in the terrain around the Padam Talab, Rajbagh Talab, Malik Talab and Kachita Valley areas of the park.
The park is spread over an area of around 400 sq km. If the adjoining Sawai Man Singh sanctuary is also considered, the total area of Ranthambore National Park comes to around 500 sq km.
The park was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1957, and was brought under the central government’s Project Tiger in 1974. It was designated a national park in 1981.
With the number of big cats growing in the park, officials hinted that at least two tigresses could be shifted within the state to the Sariska tiger reserve which already has two tigers and three tigresses.