Why Tigers of in Corbett National Park Are in Attack Mode on Elephants; Experts Says Worrying Phenomenon

News Highlights

• Recent trend reveals big cats have been found to be attacking elephants in the famed Corbett National Park
• The results, which is a part of the study conducted by the park authority, shows a worrying trend in wildlife fraternity as tigers usually don’t eat elephants, wildlife experts say
• A total of 9 tigers, 21 elephants and 6 leopards were found dead from 2014 to May 31, 2019

News update: Royal Bengal Tigers have been found to be killing elephants, mainly young ones, in the famed Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand and in a few cases eating them too.

The clan of elephants is also increasing continuously in Corbett Park that is basically an abode of tigers, but the matter of big concern is that the tiger which usually kills deer, sambar and other wildlife, is also attacking elephants now. Every year three to four elephants are killed in the Corbett forest. Experts are also surprised to see this changing behavior of the tiger. There are around 1224 elephants and around 250 tigers in Corbett National Park. Corbett National Park has 1288 square kilometer forest for wildlife to roam. However, the forest area is falling short for tigers in terms of area.

According to experts, a tiger lives up to 20 to 25 square kilometer, but due to less space, the tiger is living favorably in less area. Whereas the herd of elephants is accustomed to living near places like rivers, streams etc.  Usually the elephant keeps a distance from the tiger, but in Corbett, the tiger is attacking from very close to the elephants. Tiger has attacked and killed 11 elephants in the last three years. While four elephants have died due to other reasons. Expert Sanjay Chhimwal said that the number of tigers is increasing continuously in the park.

Elephants are most visible in Dhikala

Most of the elephants are seen in Dhikala, the best tourism zone of Corbett Park. According to the park administration, the number of elephants has increased to 1224 as of now. Whereas in the year 2014-15 their number was recorded 1035 only. Most of the elephant herds are visible in Dhikala. Big clan of elephants in Dhikala tourism zone is a treat for wildlife lovers. Experts say that elephants are generally intelligent and calm in nature. Their behavior is what sets them apart from other wildlife species.