Bhubaneswar: The male tiger recently spotted in Odisha’s Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary was previously recorded in Chhattisgarh’s Udanti–Sitanadi Tiger Reserve, where camera-trap images confirmed its presence for approximately six months in 2025, forest officials said on Sunday.
The tiger arrived at Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary on November 9, 2026. Its identity was established through stripe-pattern analysis of camera-trap photographs received from forest officials in the neighbouring state.
According to forest officials, the latest findings confirm that the tiger had inhabited the Udanti–Sitanadi Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh for approximately six months last year.
However, its movement history before reaching Chhattisgarh remains unclear. Officials suspect that the tiger may have originally dispersed from Maharashtra, but no camera-trap evidence is currently available to establish its earlier movement route.
Meanwhile, Debrigarh authorities have approached the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), seeking additional information, if available, on the animal’s dispersal history and previous movement records.
Further analysis of camera-trap data is underway to gather more information about the tiger’s movement across different landscapes.
