Tiger Walker II caught in a trap camera in core area of Gautala Autramghat wildlife sanctuary on Sept 22
This comes as attention remains focused on Avenger, the tiger that killed a farmer in Beed on Nov 7. Walker II, officially designated T3C1 and the lone tiger in Gautala Autramghat Wildlife Sanctuary since March 2021, was captured on a camera trap in Sept, forest officials said. Concerns over his fate peaked in Feb-March 2025 when he remained unseen for an extended period and nine poachers were arrested nearby. He reappeared on camera traps before mid-March and was again recorded on May 16 at an artificial waterhole in Gautala. Avenger, a four-year-old cub of tigress T-22, left Tipeshwar in May 2023 and travelled nearly 500km across six districts — Yavatmal, Dharashiv, Latur, Solapur, Ahilyanagar and Beed. He survived largely on wild prey and cattle kills, evaded two tranquilisation attempts in early 2025, and on Nov 7 killed a 38-year-old farmer in Beed’s Ashti taluka.
With Walker II’s presence confirmed, Marathwada now has two tigers. Stay updated with the latest Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar news.
The tiger has never attacked a human and is surviving on wild boar, sambar and nilgai among other prey bases inside the protected forest,” a forest official said. The Walker II remains the quiet success story of Gautala — a tiger that came, settled, and stayed,” conservationist Dr Kishor Pathak said. The sighting ends recent speculation that the tiger had disappeared, died, been poached or left the sanctuary. Unlike Avenger, Walker II has had almost no contact with humans. “He is even out of the sight of locals so far. “Avenger may be in the news for conflict as his present territory is not dense forest like Gautala. Forest teams are currently trying to trace him. Download the TOI App.
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar : The forest department on Monday confirmed that Marathwada’s other tiger, Walker II, was alive and thriving.
He was captured on a trap camera on Sept 22. Older, quieter and more settled than Avenger, Walker II left Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary in Yavatmal in 2021 and travelled nearly 330km before reaching Gautala in mid-March that year. It was the first confirmed tiger sighting in the sanctuary since 1940.
Forest officials said he typically spends nearly three weeks in Kannad before shifting to Chalisgaon for about a week. When he moves to a part of the forest without cameras, he goes off the radar for weeks,” Rampure said. “Walker II still exists. “Walker II has no radio collar. He gets tracked only through camera traps, pugmarks and kills.
Since then, the male tiger has made the 260sqkm sanctuary his home, moving between Kannad in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district and Chalisgaon in Jalgaon district. He is in the core area of Gautala and is healthy,” Range forest officer Sachin Rampure said on Monday.