New Delhi, July 2: The tiger is back in Sariska.

Days after making his first kill, the tiger has been showing signs if establishing his territory. “The young male translocated from Ranthambore is making sounds typical of those that mark a territory. This is a good sign and will help us release it soon,” said Wildlife Institute of India Director P R Sinha.

The herbivores out there in the open, beyond the enclosure where the tiger is housed at present, have felt the big cat’s presence and have been making “tiger alarm calls” to warn each other. “It seems that the tiger has been able to leave its mark. The herbivores in the forest can feel that the jungle’s largest predator has returned and have started making alarm calls to each other. The progress graph has been amazing and it indicates that we can release him soon,” said Sinha.

The WII scientists who have been tracking the young tigress that would be translocated from Ranthambore to Sariska next, said that it is also active. “Like her male partner, she too made a kill on Monday. We will translocate her soon provided the clear weather holds,” Sinha told The Indian Express.

According to experts, the results of the absence of the big cat in the tiger reserve are showing. “The tiger is an umbrella specie and best indicates the health of the forest. Its absence for the past two years has had definite effects on the surroundings. The leopards and the herbivorous population have gone up and that has led to over grazing in the forest,” an official said.

Although the number of leopards have increased, they have not been able to keep the large ungulate population found in this traditional tiger habitat in check. A good habitat in the tiger reserve is now a problem as the Nilgai and Sambar population has gone up manifolds. The resident cattle population around the reserve forest has also increased leading to overgrazing of the forest.