Chennai, Feb 3 (IANS): Two tigers were spotted in camera traps in the reserve forests of Jawalagiri range in the Cauvery North Wildlife Sanctuary at Hosur in Tamil Nadu after a gap of 50 years.

According to a statement by state forest department, two tigers -- a male tiger aged about four to five, and another tiger between eight to nine years of age -- were spotted in the camera traps fixed inside forest areas in January.

Additional Secretary of Environment, forest and Climate change in the state, Supriya Sahu, in a statement said: "Jawalagiri range is adjacent to the recently notified Cauvery South Wildlife Sanctuary, which is a part of the continuous landscape of protected areas."

She said that the presence of tigers in the habitat exemplifies that it is viable to accommodate spillover tiger populations from Bannerghatta National Park (Karnataka) and nearby protected areas indicating success of the conservation efforts.

The state government has declared 80,114.80 hectares of reserve forests in Bargur Hills in Erode district as the Thanthai Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary.

This stretch of protected forests links the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve with Cauvery South Wildlife Sanctuary.

Conservationist and Wildlife expert Nazeer Khan said that the state government's conservation efforts are paying off and the presence of two tigers after a gap of 50 years is its clear indicator.