Big cat sure to return to Kawal: Nadendla

Ex-AP Assembly Speaker concludes his two-day visit to the reserve with a foray into the forest

Former AP Assembly Speaker Nadendla Manohar watching birds at Kawal Tiger Reserve in Adilabad on Monday. Photo: S. Harpal Singh

Former Legislative Assembly Speaker in undivided Andhra Pradesh, Nadendla Manohar, on Monday opined that the habitat at the Kawal Tiger Reserve (KTR) in Adilabad district was very conducive for return of the big cat. He said with bamboo forest, rocky terrain and hillocks scattered across the 892 sq km environmental haven in Adilabad district, there would be no stopping the return of the tiger.

Mr. Manohar, who as Speaker and chairman of the AP Legislative Committee on Wildlife and Environment Protection was instrumental in getting the Kawal Wildlife Sanctuary the status of a tiger teserve, ended his two-day visit to KTR with an early morning foray into wild territory. A keen wildlife enthusiast, he spotted pug marks of leopards and wild dogs on the way to Gangapur in Kadem mandal before visiting the Kalpakunta tank to spot a herd of gaurs and woolly necked storks.

The Congress leader said all sanctuaries, including the KTR, need to have well established management plans. He said there should be no interference from outside in the management of the tiger reserve.

The former AP Speaker told

The Hindu that KTR required further development and he would talk to key persons in the Telangana government, including Panchayat Raj Minister K. Taraka Ramarao, Nizamabad MP K. Kavitha and some other MLAs. He said the inflow of visitors since his last visit in 2010 has increased manifold and there was scope for more development in terms of tourism here.