Beldanda to Chhota Charger, UP’s tigers driving ecotourism | Lucknow News
Lucknow: If Scissors and Beldanda tigresses have made themselves recognisable to tourists over a period of time in Dudhwa Tiger Reserve of UP, males like Chhota Charger, Rocket, and Bajrang are no less popular either. Though giving tigers a name and identity is something the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and officials at tiger reserves discourage because it endangers big cats even more, tigers earn such monikers given their specific traits and behaviour. For example, Scissors got her name for the mark on her forehead, which looks like a pair of scissors, and Beldanda was named after a forest road with the same name in Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary, where she has been commonly spotted over the years. Tourists have sometimes seen both of them with their cubs as well. The males, however, have awed tourists with their build and antics, a staff member at Dudhwa Tiger Reserve said.Bajrang may be the heaviest male spotted in Dudhwa so far, and Chhota Charger might have got his name for mock charging at tourists. Rocket of Pilibhit Tiger Reserve gained popularity after he was seen with a tourist’s camera bean bag in his jaws recently.On National Wildlife Day (Sept 4), it would be as important to talk about the majestic tigers of UP as other varied wildlife in its jungles, including free-ranging rhinos, elephants, swamp deer, and several species of birds. “It is because of this that the number of tourists coming to Dudhwa is increasing,” said director, Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, Raja Mohan.After the next tiger estimation, expected to be out in 2026, tigers in Dudhwa may also be designated (as T1, T2) to make their identification and conservation easier.In the latest tiger estimation in 2022, UP recorded an 18% increase in the number of tigers compared to the 2018 data. The 2022 estimation counted 205 tigers in UP compared to 173 in 2018 in the four tiger reserves — Dudhwa, Pilibhit, Amangarh, and Ranipur.Improved sightings of wildlife led to an increase in the number of tourists. According to official figures, visitors at Dudhwa Tiger Reserve increased from 23,187 in 2021-22 to 64,436 in 2024-25.Principal secretary, tourism, Mukesh Kumar Meshram said, ‘Footfall has tripled in three years, and safaris have nearly doubled. Data show that responsible tourism and conservation can grow together.”Since 2022, the UP Eco Tourism Development Board has aligned forest, tourism, and allied departments to boost ecotourism. Air service between Lucknow and Dudhwa, and Vistadome Jungle Safari Train in Dudhwa, have added to the experience of visitors.Maheshpur Range in Dudhwa offers year-round buffer safaris, while twenty-four homestays across nine villages welcome visitors and keep the income local.Prakhar Misra, director, UP Tourism (Eco), said, “We repurposed an existing railway, opened buffer routes like Maheshpur, and built homestays. Ecotourism is now a tool for species recovery and local prosperity.”
