Human conflict with ‘big cat’ minimal in Uttarakhand

The incidents of human-wildlife conflict with tigers are far lesser than human-leopard and human-elephants, despite registering an increase of 263 tigers between years 2008-2018 in Uttarakhand.

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Between the terai and the mountains, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami flaunted the tiger range from an elevation of 1,181 ft (360 m) to 12,073 ft (3680 m) as a testimony of Uttarakhand’s success in tiger conservation.

The tiger’s usual range is under 6,000 ft (below 1,800 ft, think Kasauli). That makes its presence above 12,000 ft — the elevation of the Kedarnath temple — rare. But tigers have shown up before a strategically placed motion-triggered camera at higher altitudes.

Records of high-altitude tigers getting somewhat routine have alarmed a section of conservationists. Warming induced by climate change, they argue, is making the higher mountains tolerable for tigers.

But the fact that tigers are found roaming the snow indicates that their upward movement is not deterred by the cold.