Tigerwalah prediction for 2026-27 for Bandhavgarh

The season started with a lot of hope and excitement, and almost immediately a few tiger deaths, strange rules, missing tigers ended a great season. Most certainly the tiger behavior and sighting patterns have changed too.

Tala was the mainstay with sightings around chakradhara and sidd baba, and almost the entire season guides and drivers have not moved beyond these areas. Magdhi was low, so was Khitauli and the buffers continued to be inaccessible for most. 

The promise of a better and more brilliant Bandhavgarh now lay exposed to poor systematic governance, and the poor field mgmt. has let  to slow destruction of this park. In time, the year 25-26 would need to be forgotten to change. 

This is not a Bandhavgarh we have known or experienced. 

As always let me revisit the predictions made during the season round up last year (2025-26) and assess what we got right and wrong. 

Predictions (2025-26) – 4/5 !!

1. Big Male pressure in Tala - Bajrang will dominate Tala, but he will start to see pressure from his own son Chakradhara Male Sub adult, Samrat on one side and DM male on the other. While he will continue to push his territory deep into Tala and depending on which side we could also see him moving around Mirchaini, Rajbhera should he feel the pressure from these new challengers. The pressure will create new beginnings either in the form of new territory or new events. Bajrang still has 1-2 years of Prime behind him, but he will start to feel the pressure from these young tigers, expect some high-tension conflicts. 

As predicted, pressure has started to build on Bajrang, his sub adult male named Shiva has started to follow him across his routes, mating also with Chorbhera female. On the other side, we have seen Samrat now getting a firm grip on Vulture nest, Ghorademon, Aman nallah, Banbehi areas. He is now stronger and more challenging compared to last season. Bajrang himself now has restricted his movements around chakradhara, jamunia and old A route, often scaling the fence for some easy cattle feed. While I think he has another 2 years of prime in this territory, it is becoming increasingly difficult for him to survive that long without making a lot of effort to keep growing his territory. Shiva is strong and unless there is a deadly conflict early in season which may still go Bajrang’s way, I expect him to push Bajrang out slowly and surely in 2 years. 

1. Return of Magdhi - Magdhi will bounce back strongly, the season will see new litters and young litters establishing new ground. Trishuli and Sundari will start to become young mothers, and we can slowly start to see the Dotty era of magdhi return this season. I won’t be surprised if people queue up to look for permits for Magdhi post Jan 2026. 

This is a 50:50 prediction. The year promised well, with news of 2 new litters in Magdhi, one with the Trishuli and the other with Bufferwali, sadly no one saw them litter from Trishuli and Bufferwali lost her young very soon, some beautiful images, video of the litter emerged and unfortunately the excitement soon vanished with them dead. The season was over for Magdhi, and all the folks who landed permits found themselves staring at empty landscapes. Towards March, the erstwhile buffer female family and the Raa family started to show up across odd days, but nothing inspiring a revival. 

1. Micro dynamics in Tala - I am a bit concerned about the cluster of females and cubs too close to each other. Siddhbaba female and her cubs, Old Chakradhara sub adults, Chorbhera female and her family and the Sita mantap female and cubs all very close to each other. This will result in some brutal territorial fights and even loss in some cases. More importantly a case for them to move into new territory. I do see the Sita mantap / bhitri female moving away from her litter and the cubs dispersing into other areas, she might even raise another family before the end of the season. I am hoping the chakradhara sub adult female moves into the Rajbhera area. I hope the Siddbababa and Chorbhera families avoid each other, we don’t want a repeat of the Kankatti and Chorbhera episode years ago. While Dotty is a wily and smart tigress, she needs to watch Bajrang’s expansion into her territory and must protect her new cubs. All in all, Tala will have its own micro dynamics brewing this season. 

The overcrowding has started to take its toll in Tala. Bhitri female / Sita mantap female has been completely missing along with her 4 sub adults for the full season, 1 female cub has been spotted sometimes but otherwise they have just vanished. They are very close to the fence and there have been reported 1-2 human deaths on account of the conflicts. The manpur buffer from there is large and there is a good chance they moved into the buffer. Chakradhara new litter, her old sub adults are living together in the same area, but there were several moments where we saw the mother aggressive with the sub adults. The Sub adults are in no mood to leave this pristine area of the park. The dynamics will play out further this year. Dotty continues to find her territory across Mirchaini, but her behavior has changed, she has become very uncomfortable and shy and rushes away at every opportunity, quite unlike her. Chorbhera across her area has been able to hold ground, with her old litter across Old A route. A lot depends on Bajrang in the coming year. The churn and action in Tala will continue in the coming year. 

1. Low – slow buffer activity – The buffer will throw up some great days, and most exciting of this will be from the new zone with the unknowns. However, with restrictions, low patrol activity and very high disturbance from the fringes I do expect the buffer to be low on sightings and slow to kick start the season, as the summer picks up so will the sightings else will remain a few days with some good moments.   

Buffers have been low / slow all season. The changes & restrictions on the routes in Panpatta have robbed the tourists on many opportunities, death of Pujari, dominance of D1, tara’s lost litters etc. are reducing Panpatta’s chance to shine. However, the Panihai litter and the new Birhauli litter continue to thrive, grow and show up often. Dhamonkar on the other hand has had a new litter from the DM and Dhamonkar female and they were seen across a few times making that zone interesting towards the end of the season. The challenge is not many tourists visit the buffers, and this also would mean less chances of spotting the big cats.

1. Domination of females – The strongest of the mothers will start to define the zones and activities. My view is Dotty, and her new litter will light up Mirchaini, Damnar. Tara will dominate the buffer and part of Khitauli. Durrah the nadhi area with her 2 cubs. Khatiwah with her new cubs will hold the tourists in the core khitauli zone. Sidd Baba , Sita mantap females around their territory and the Magdhi females in their zones, Panihai in her zone. All in all – plan your forest safaris based on the sightings and movements of these mothers; this might lead you to some amazing moments in the park with these families. These mothers will be a North star for sightings and will remain an important beacon for us. The next 24 months will be dominated by these Tiger Moms. 

Without a doubt, the Tiger Moms have dominated the park sightings, except for Sita mantap female & Kahitiwah all else have been strong to hold on to territory and establish dominance. The new season will start with these moms, and their behavior or existence will decide the course of the zones. Dotty, Durrah, Siddbaba, Siddbaba Subadult, Trishuli, Sundari, Tara, Panihai, Birhauli, Dhamonkar, Bufferwali, Chorbhera, Doba female expect a lot of action early in the first half of 2026-27 season. 

4/5 at the end is not a bad way to look at it, given all the dynamics we have seen at the park this season. Let us look at the season highlights across the Zones: 

• Tala – I personally spent a lot of time at Tala this season, and honestly, I was disappointed for 2 reasons. 1. The Tiger behavior unusually has changed – they don’t seem bold anymore, they are distancing away from the usual spots, and often far away. Bajrang also was seen occasionally but movements were very late in the evening or far away. Dotty, Chakradhara male was seen but again behavior was very different. Somehow the characters have changed behavior. 2. There are too many interventions from forest department, quite frankly, unnecessary. Seems, the department is regulating based on feedback from a few, without quite understanding the larger picture. They have reset the potential of the park behind several years.  

• Magdhi – Little happened, it remained a silent zone for most of the year. Some action here and some there spread across weeks. That summarizes the Magdhi story. 

• Khitauli – Last couple of years, the preseason excitement of Khitauli was very high, and just as we enter the first 2-3 months of the new season, we have seen tiger deaths, bloody territory battles and by the time we go into Jan the season has more or less ended in Khitauli. This happened with the Khatiwah litter, Tara litter last year, this year it was Khatiwah, Tara and her new litter and Pujari. They vanished and so did our hopes. Durrah & Raa with their new litters did show up occasionally but the season was amongst the lowest in years. Guides. Drivers who loved Khitauli showed a lot of resilience on their smile but one could see their disappointment. 

• Buffers – Not much to be spoken off. 

Bandhavgarh this year in all my years, has given me mixed signals. Elsewhere when you hear, see tiger sightings as exciting as they were, I sit down with my collective intelligence and memories over the years and ponder what next for me and my Bandhavgarh ? The season this time has left me confused; I very reluctantly share my Top 5 predictions for 2026-27.

1. Weather, seasons are changing in Bandhavgarh. Lack of rains, sporadic showers across months are creating minor changes in the park. Winters end early, March, April have started to become hotter or at its peak, May & June are relatively better in comparison than what they were across earlier years. No more, can you now predict the weather and make your bookings. I for one, have changed my schedule of travel. Perhaps it might be important for you to reset the travel calendar to Bandhavgarh. 
2. Strange rules, authority intervention, wrong precedence. While we are seeing many other parks in the country being more efficiently managed and that’s showing up in the sightings, excitement from the tourists, Bandhavgarh seems to be going into stricter controls based on hearsay rather than logical methods. I am afraid the people who are influencing the authorities are driving this park to the bottom. Fines, suspensions, ad hoc decisions are being taken rather than dialogue. The use of force will eventually lead to a reaction the authorities can’t manage. The nonexistence of dialogue or being accessible coupled with the existence of a coterie who are doing this for selfish reasons is ruining this park. I expect strange, ill-informed decisions to continue in the coming year. The FD & PCF need to open dialogue with stakeholders, guides, drivers, hoteliers, long time tourists to revive the park now, else it may be poorly managed and governed by their operational leaders. Sab ka saath and Sab ka vikas may be the way forward. 
3. Tiger activity. The season will have enough activity across all zones, not sure if it will lead to a lot of sightings and photography given the rules and behavior. However, we will see new litters, excitement with the sub adults and the usual sights of males and females. I would believe sightings like we have seen of crossings, or faraway avoiding common routes or areas will be the new norm now in Bandhavgarh. 
4. Man / Animal conflict will be at its Peak. Porous fences, easy cattle prey, have led to the  tigers move into buffer or nearby villages and make easy kills. Its alarming, that almost all Tigers are now regulars across fringe villages. The season has started to see man/ animal conflicts with tiger deaths increasing. This will now peak as there is no control or check on this from the authorities. They are only controlling the post facto incidents rather than being proactive. The tigers can’t be stopped from going into the villages, unless the fencing is completed and increased, the department starts to use elephants to patrol and push back the tigers into the core and importantly focusing on increasing prey density in the core to change this behavior over time naturally. Bandhavgarh may end up seeing more tigers outside the park in due course, we have seen Tigers in Tala and around.
5. Expect Surprises. Don’t rush into early season planning, watch October, November before you plan your travel, season, zones etc.  too many dynamics are at play, administration, rules, tiger movement and activity, weather and seasons, changing behavior of the tigers etc. Be judicious in your plans. My prediction is we will see surprises this year at Bandhavgarh. I can only hope it’s for good reason. But expect surprises. 

Cheers, Best of Luck.