By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
DEHRADUN, 26 Jul: Preparations for the upcoming tiger census in Uttarakhand have begun in right earnest. The first phase of the three phase assessment will be carried out through a scientific survey. The officials have indicated that the scientific survey is set to begin in October. As part of a coordinated effort under the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the process is being facilitated by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, in collaboration with the state Forest Department.
A regional meeting of directors from Rajaji, Corbett, and other northern tiger reserves has already been convened at WII in this respect. During the session, detailed discussions were held on the methodology of the forthcoming census, including technical inputs, the use of camera traps, and capacity-building initiatives.
Saket Badola, Director of Corbett Tiger Reserve, who was present at the workshop, has shared that requisite information on logistics and equipment has been sought from the Forest Department by the WII. In addition, training schedules for ground personnel were also finalised during the meeting.
It may be recalled that the tiger enumeration exercise is structured in three distinct phases. The first, referred to as the ‘Science Survey’ or ‘Ecology Monitoring,’ will see frontline forest staff traverse assigned beats to record indirect signs of wildlife, such as pugmarks, scratch marks, scats, and other indicators of tiger presence, as well as prey density. This data will be compiled and submitted to WII for analysis, marking the second phase.
In the third phase, based on the results of the science survey, a systematic deployment of camera traps will be undertaken using a grid-based approach. These traps are expected to capture photographic evidence of wildlife, which will then be processed and analysed by WII. The comprehensive findings will form the basis of the next ‘Status of Tigers, Co-predators and Prey in India’ report.
It may also be recalled that the last such report, released in 2023 based on data collected in 2022, recorded a tiger population of 560 in Uttarakhand, showing a steady increase in the state’s big cat numbers. The Corbett Tiger Reserve remains a critical stronghold of tiger conservation, while neighbouring Rajaji Tiger Reserve is also witnessing a gradual revival of tiger population and some tigers have also been relocated from Corbett to Rajaji in recent months.
