Tiger from Panna reserve travels 150 km to UP: Official

 A forest official from Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday claimed that a tiger from the state's Panna National Park has travelled 150 km and entered a village in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh.

Some forest officials from Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh spotted the big cat at Gelhori village on the border of Mahoba and Hamirpur districts two days ago, Panna Tiger Reserve's (PTR) field director K S Bhadoria said.

"As the tiger on the move does not have a radio collar, we have asked the UP forest officials to share details of the animal to identify it," Bhadoria said.

The big cat may have travelled along the Ken River that runs through the tiger reserve and traverses the two states, the official said.

Big cats have ventured out of PTR, which is spread over 542.67 km, in the past as well, he added.

In 2009, the entire tiger population in PTR was eliminated because of poaching and other reasons, after which a tiger revival programme was introduced in 2013.

The plan has been successful as the number of tigers has reached over 50 in the last 10 years.

"We now have more than 50 tigers, including adults and cubs," Bhadoria said.