Chandrapur: Environmental activist Bandu Dhotre has renewed his long-standing demand to officially declare Chandrapur a ‘Tiger District’, arguing that the district — now hosting the highest concentration of tigers anywhere in the world numbering more than 250 — requires a dedicated administrative framework to strengthen conservation and address the rising human-tiger conflict.Dhotre has revived the demand amid his ongoing agitation against the proposed Lohardongri iron ore mine in Tadoba corridor. He maintains that Chandrapur’s rapidly expanding tiger population calls for coordinated management across all forest divisions rather than fragmented governance.Chandrapur today holds nearly 5% of the world’s tiger population. While Nagpur is often referred to informally as the ‘Tiger Capital of India’, wildlife experts say Chandrapur has effectively emerged as the true global hub for tigers, hosting the densest population within a single district.India leads the world with 3,682 tigers, followed by Russia (750), Indonesia (393) and Nepal (355). Within India, Madhya Pradesh ranks first with 785 tigers, followed by Karnataka (563) and Uttarakhand (560). Maharashtra stands fourth with 444 tigers, a significant share of which is concentrated in Chandrapur.According to the Status of Tigers in India 2022 report, Chandrapur recorded 249 tigers during the last estimation, with forest officials indicating that the number has now crossed 250. The district’s tiger landscape includes the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) and three adjoining territorial forest divisions — Brahmapuri, Chandrapur and Central Chanda — forming a connected network of habitats and corridors that support breeding and dispersal.TATR alone shelters 95 tigers, while the Brahmapuri forest division hosts 66, the Chandrapur forest division 52, and Central Chanda 36, linking the forests further south to Telangana’s Kawal Tiger Reserve.Apart from the estimated adults, the region also has around 100 cubs and sub-adult tigers, many of which are expected to be added to the population in the next count. However, the expanding tiger population has intensified human-tiger conflict, with nearly 200 villagers killed in attacks over the past five years.Dhotre first raised the demand for declaring Chandrapur a Tiger District in July 2012, when he launched a food renunciation protest. Following the agitation, the state govt constituted a committee of three chief conservators of forest to examine the proposal. A draft declaration was prepared in 2013 and forwarded through the forest department hierarchy, but the initiative stalled due to administrative changes.The proposal envisages recognition of all tiger-bearing forests in the district as ‘tiger-sensitive zones’, ensuring uniform allocation of funds and resources across wildlife reserves, territorial forests and areas managed by the Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra.It also recommends additional field staff, dedicated training funds and improved infrastructure for forest personnel working in high-risk areas. Supporters argue that the declaration would ensure uniform funding, better staffing and coordinated conflict-mitigation measures, strengthening both wildlife conservation and the safety of forest-fringe communities.
