The Times of India
The endangered Indian tiger seems to be back from the brink. The striped predator, whose population touched a low of 1,411 in the last census, has shown a 16% rise in numbers with the latest count released on Monday showing an estimated 1,706 tigers in the country – including 70 found in Sundarbans, which was not part of the 2006 count.
The census report, the second counting exercise to use scientific sampling methods, shows India's tiger population is stabilizing and even thriving in many big reserves. The most impressive surge in numbers was from the Nagarhole-Wayanad-Mudumalai belt (across Karnataka, TN and Kerala), which with an around 382 tigers has shown a 36% rise from the previous count.
Increase in tiger numbers was also reported in Uttarakhand, Maharashtra and Assam, while Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh showed a decline. Among the well known tiger reserves, Corbett, Ranthambore and Bandhavgarh saw an impressive rise in the number of tigers.
The tiger census methodology has come a long way since the pre-2006 counts, when pugmarks used to be the only indicator of tiger numbers. The method was highly inaccurate and for the last two tiger counts, the government moved to a more scientific process that involved video trapping and use of satellite data.
The latest tiger count, while being similar to the 2006 census in most ways, is more accurate than the previous exercise, experts involved the census said.
The census report, the second counting exercise to use scientific sampling methods, shows India's tiger population is stabilizing and even thriving in many big reserves. The most impressive surge in numbers was from the Nagarhole-Wayanad-Mudumalai belt (across Karnataka, TN and Kerala), which with an around 382 tigers has shown a 36% rise from the previous count.
Increase in tiger numbers was also reported in Uttarakhand, Maharashtra and Assam, while Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh showed a decline. Among the well known tiger reserves, Corbett, Ranthambore and Bandhavgarh saw an impressive rise in the number of tigers.
The tiger census methodology has come a long way since the pre-2006 counts, when pugmarks used to be the only indicator of tiger numbers. The method was highly inaccurate and for the last two tiger counts, the government moved to a more scientific process that involved video trapping and use of satellite data.
The latest tiger count, while being similar to the 2006 census in most ways, is more accurate than the previous exercise, experts involved the census said.
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