Tiger Walker II finally spotted in trap camera at Gautala

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The forest department on Monday produced a recent trap camera image of tiger Walker II at the Gautala Wildlife Sanctuary, ending speculation that the big cat may have been killed by poachers.
There were fears that the wildlife sanctuary's lone tiger was killed by poachers who killed other wild animals in and around the sanctuary in Feb.
Mohan Naikwadi, the divisional forest officer (wildlife), said Walker II was seen near one of the water holes inside the sanctuary around 1am on March 14.
"The tiger looks healthy. Considering the animal's growth so far, it is getting the desired prey base," he said.
Walker II was last seen in a trap camera on Feb 27, a couple of days before forest department authorities caught a group of poachers with the remains of multiple wild animals. Since then there had been no fresh trap camera images of Walker II, sparking concerns that the tiger too may have been killed.
Named Tiger T-3 C1, Walker II is believed to come to Gautala from the Tipeshwar sanctuary in 2021. The tiger earned the sobriquet Walker II for its exceptionally long journey in search of new territory.
Meanwhile, forest department authorities said an investigation is ongoing into the poaching of Indian jackal, wild boars, Indian gazelle, and peacocks at Gautala Wildlife Sanctuary. While a group of poachers has already been arrested, their links in other districts are being probed, authorities said.