A hidden camera gives a glimpse of a Royal Bengal Tiger at Palamau Tiger Reserve on June 9

Ranchi, June 13: Catwalk on camera is scorching forest ramps of Palamau.

For the first time, the 1,014sqkm reserve has successfully filmed the presence of its superb predators, cocking a snook at critics who so far claimed that the majestic Royal Bengal Tiger had disappeared from the region.

Official figures claim that the Palamau Tiger Reserve has at least 10 striped inmates. Around 20 high-sensitivity cameras, installed at strategic locations since June 6, have spotted two of them.

The first sighting was made at Shiv nullah at 8.31pm on June 9. Reserve officials said the animal was between seven and nine years of age, but its gender could not be ascertained. Known to be solitary creatures with high territorial awareness, the second tiger was spotted at least 12km from Shiv nullah and an hour later.

“We have more than an hour’s footage. The cameras have captured the big cats sleeping, roaring, running or lurking behind trees for their prey,” a Palamau official said.

Confirming the first-ever visual evidence of tigers in Jharkhand, principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife) J.B. Jauher said: “We are in the process of verifying that the cameras have spotted two tigers and not one. Tigers are essentially solitary and territorial animals. The size of their home range mainly depends on prey abundance, and, in case of male tigers, on access to females. The pattern of stripes is also unique to each animal and we believe these are two tigers.”

So far, camera sighting was an alien concept for the state forest department. Though high-end gadgets were available, they had been lying unused for years. As a result, the department was relying on pug marks, scats, nails etc, which were sent for DNA analysis and other tests to confirm the presence of big cats.

However, taking cue from states like Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand decided on camera vigilance in the Palamau reserve.

Around 20 cameras have already been installed and 28 more are in the pipeline. The cameras are positioned at 90 degrees along tiger trails. They are covered with cow dung so that elephants don’t damage them. “Technically, there should be one camera for every 5sqkm for best results,” said S.E.H. Kazmi, the director of the reserve. “The number of cameras will be increased from 48 after we train our ground staff on how to handle them,” he added.

Jauher said lack of trained hands and also fear of the cameras getting damaged or stolen were some of the reasons why they had not been installed earlier. “But then, no risk no gain,” he said.

The cameras are also expected to help in conservation activities. “Not just tigers, we will be able to monitor every animal, their movements and the status of the reserve in a better way,” Jauher added.