Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary is associated with which landscape?

The Aravalli range in Rajasthan

The Shivalik foothills in Haryana

The Western Ghats in Maharashtra

A wildlife corridor principally serves which function?

Linking habitat through which animals can move between areas

Defining the fixed home range of one identified animal

Measuring the number of animals photographed on a forest trail

Marking the administrative buffer surrounding every national park

Radhanagari: A Tourist Tiger Record in the Western Ghats Forest Landscape

Why in news?

Tourists photographed and filmed a male Bengal tiger during a safari at Maharashtra's Radhanagari-Dajipur Wildlife Sanctuary on 2 November 2026. The Times of India reported that forest officials identified the animal as STR-T10, known as Ranoji. Officials described it as the sanctuary's first officially documented tiger sighting recorded on camera by tourists. The sanctuary protects forests in the Western Ghats near Kolhapur and is particularly associated with gaur, a large Asian wild cattle species. The tiger record draws attention to another role of this landscape: providing forest habitat through which large animals can move between protected areas.

Forested hills in the northern Western Ghats

Radhanagari lies in the Sahyadri hills, the name used for the Western Ghats in this region. Maharashtra's tourism department records an area of 351.16 square kilometres. The sanctuary's protection history began in 1958, and its present extent followed an expansion in 1985. Dajipur is another name commonly used for the sanctuary and its visitor area.

The landscape contains steep ground, forests and large reservoirs. The India Cine Hub's official location account places it between the Laxmi Sagar and Shahu Sagar reservoirs. Its vegetation includes moist deciduous, semi-evergreen and evergreen forests. Deciduous trees shed their leaves seasonally; evergreen forests retain a leafy canopy through the year. These different forest conditions provide varied feeding and sheltering places for wildlife.

Colour locator map marks Radhanagari in Maharashtra, with Kolhapur, Karnataka, Goa and the Arabian Sea. — Clarity original locator map. The point marks Radhanagari in the Western Ghats. Natural Earth; DataMeet, CC BY 4.0; location from Key Biodiversity Areas.

Why the wider mountain chain matters

The Western Ghats run along the western side of peninsular India. Moist air from the Arabian Sea encounters the mountain slopes during the southwest monsoon. The region's varied elevation, rainfall and forest cover support many different habitats. Some species have a restricted geographical range, making the survival of their particular habitat especially important.

UNESCO recognises the Western Ghats through a serial World Heritage property, comprising separate protected components. The sites together represent the mountain chain's ecological variety. The region has high endemism: many species occur naturally within a limited area. Protecting a range of forest habitats helps conserve that diversity across the landscape.

Gaur, forest birds and a tiger record

Gaur are a prominent part of Radhanagari's wildlife. They are large, strongly built wild cattle with curved horns. The sanctuary also supports animals such as leopards, sloth bears, sambar and wild dogs. Its forest birds include the Malabar grey hornbill, Nilgiri wood-pigeon and Malabar whistling thrush. This variety reflects the different food, cover and nesting opportunities within the forests.

The Maharashtra tourism account already records tiger presence through camera traps. These remotely placed cameras photograph animals moving past them. The November 2 encounter adds a documented visitor observation to that background. The reported identification of Ranoji connects the photographs with a particular animal, making the record more useful than an unidentified sighting.

How connected habitat supports wildlife

A wildlife corridor is a stretch of habitat linking larger areas used by animals. It allows animals to disperse beyond the place where they were born or previously lived. Forest connections can therefore matter alongside the protection of individual sanctuaries.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority identifies the protection of linking areas as part of tiger conservation planning. It also considers how roads and other linear infrastructure affect animal movement. A road can cut across a forest connection and expose crossing animals to vehicles. Suitable crossing structures and compatible land use can help maintain that connection. The location and design must respond to the animals and habitat concerned.

Tourism within a protected landscape

The reported sighting came just after safaris resumed on November 1 following the seasonal closure. Forest officials told the newspaper that active safari vehicles were capped and each vehicle required a registered guide. Such arrangements organise visitor access within a wildlife habitat. The observation also gives visitors a concrete reason to understand the forest beyond its best-known animal, the gaur.

Conclusion

The November tiger record highlights the value of Radhanagari as both a protected forest and part of a wider wildlife landscape. Keeping its varied habitats connected supports the movement of animals beyond individual protected boundaries. That connection gives the sighting significance alongside the sanctuary's long-established role in conserving gaur and Western Ghats biodiversity.