The last tiger disappeared from the Berbera forests in the 1970s. It was never imagined that this animal would set foot again in this beautiful, undulating landscape in the catchment of the world-famous Chilka Lake in the eastern state of Orissa, India. There was at time when permits were issued to kill tigers in the area, until reckless persecution pushed the species to the state of local extinction. Things started to change after the promulgation of the Indian Wildlife Act, 1972, which listed the tiger in Schedule I, prohibiting its killing in the wild. Gradually, the enforcement agencies shifted from the colonial mindset of 'shikar', but not much changed for the tigers in Berbera. The habitat came under intense biotic pressure after 1975 when urbanization started in nearby towns in Bhubaneshwar and Cuttack. Organized timber gangs operated without fear of reprisal, leading to large-scale degradation of the habitat. Steps were taken by the State Government for the protection of this habitat and the area has shown a lot of resilience, and so has the tiger by appearing again - 25 years after the last sighting.
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