A Ranthambhore wild cat.
They are said to be in grave danger because they are moving around in crop fields, about 5 km away from the protected park.
Wildlife experts said the tigress must have moved out of her territory after sensing a serious threat to her cubs from tigers in the vicinity. Otherwise, it was unusual for a wild cat to desert its territory, they added.
"This shows the state of the sanctuary. It has become so overcrowded that it has led to a rise in territorial fights," Rajpal Singh, an expert with the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), said.
Singh said the tigress moved out of Ranthambhore about 10 days ago along the overflow of the Mansarovar lake fed by the Chambal river. "The lives of the tigress and her two cubs are in danger as they have ventured into the man-animal conflict zone. Just three days ago, she hunted a bull in an agricultural field. Her continued presence in that area could provoke the villagers," Singh said.
Nonetheless, the forest staff has been keeping a watch on the predator and was trying to attract it back to the park by using baits, sources said.
The tigress had been untraceable for some days till forest officials recently discovered her pugmarks and those of her cubs along the Mansarovar lake.
In March last year, two adolescent tigers strayed from the park along with their mother. They were killed by shepherds using poisonous baits near Talwara village, about 15 km from the park's core zone.
So far, about a dozen tigers, including T13 and her two cubs, have reportedly strayed out of the park owing to overpopulation in the core area.
Some of the tigers were found to have moved at least 150 to 200 km away.
Going by the size of the park, it can accommodate about 28 tigers. But, it currently has about 40 tigers.
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