Locals in the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve area have shown their pride in tigers by giving popular names like ‘Senapati’, ‘Subedar’ and ‘Baji’ to the tigers in the project.
These names have strengthened the bond between the local people and the tigers, and along with conservation, the sense of public participation has been strengthened. The tigers residing in the ‘Sahyadri Tiger Reserve’ here have been named.
For this, the various titles given by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj to the Sardars in Swarajya have been taken as a basis. In government documents, the tigers in the Tiger Reserve have been given code numbers.
However, to create attraction for tigers among tourists, the Forest Department has accepted the names used for these tigers by local nature lovers, guides and forest workers. Currently, there are three male tigers in the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve.
After 2018, on 17 December 2023, a tiger was registered in the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve after five years. Since the tiger could not be identified, its code number was given as STR T 1. The male tiger, which was first spotted on April 23, 2022, in Kolhapur's Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary and remained there on April 13, 2024, was spotted on October 28, 2024, in the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve, 100 kilometres away.
Its code number has been kept as STR T 2. After that, the male tiger, which was spotted in Kolhapur's Kadgaon forest area in 2023, came to the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve in 2025 and has been given the code number STR T 3. The same tiger had also come from Konkan to the Chiplun forest area.
Currently, two tigers STR T 1 and STR T 2 are in Chandoli National Park, while STR T 3 is in Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary. In government documents, the identity of these tigers is recorded according to the code number. However, to create attraction for these tigers among the tourists at the local level, they have been given names.
STR-T1 tiger is called Senapati, STR-T2 tiger is called Subedar and STR-T3 tiger is called Baji. The chieftains of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj fought in the Sahyadri valley, so the tigers that roam in this valley have been named after the titles held by the chieftains of Swarajya. STR-T1 is the first tiger project, so this tiger has been given this name because the chieftain comes first in the battle.
Names given by people
• STR-T1: Senapati
• STR-T2: Subedar
• STR-T3: Baji
