A male tiger has a territory that can be as big as 60 to 100 sq km and in extreme cases, upto 150 sq. km. The territory size of the female Tiger is considerably smaller and normally spans upto 20 sq. km but in extreme cases it can be as big as 50 sq km. The territory size is dependent on availability of prey base and if the number of prey animals is less, the territory size of the Tiger will be larger.
In Corbett Tiger Reserve, the abundance of prey animal species including Sambar, Spotted Deer, Indian Muntjac, Rhesus Macaque, Tarai Grey Langur, Wild Boad, Indian Peafowl, Red Junglefowl etc ensures that Tigers have smaller territories, in turn meaning more number of Tigers in the area. At an average, a male Tiger in Corbett Tiger Reserve has a territory size of 30 sq km. whereas the average territory size of female Tigers in the area is 10-20 sq. km. The territories can be overlapping, usually leading to territorial fights.
This big male Tiger has its territory that covers parts of both Jhirna and Dhela Tourism Zones. The Tiger wanted to cross the road and was waiting in cover to let the tourist jeeps pass. When it realized that it had been seen, it roared and ran across the forest road. It was recorded by the lodge naturalist Rakesh Bhatt on a drive to Dhela Tourism Zone, located near Jim’s Jungle Retreat.