Less than 10% of the tiger population lives outside the protected zones - not a small number to be wished away considering so much little are left in India. The latest report could show a decline in tiger population outside its 47 protected areas the corridors connecting them are in a shambles. Data is collected through camera trap, DNA tests and ground report from thousands of foresters scouring the wild. The country has five landscapes - Shivalik-Gangetic Plains, Central India and Eastern Ghats, Western Ghats, North-Eastern India and Sunderbans - for the tiger census that started in early 2013.īesides the tiger headcount, the census provides useful data on other wildlife living alongside the big cats. Many tiger reserves show a stable population near to its optimal capacity, some are moving in that direction and only a few have shown a slight dip,” the official said, describing Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh and Bor in Maharashtra as habitats with some concern. There has not been a fall in tiger numbers in any landscape and most have witnessed some increase. “The decreasing trend has either reversed or stopped. Not for long though, as latest trends suggest. The country’s other popular tiger destinations, Rajasthan and Maharashtra, recorded a dip in numbers in some of their tiger reserves. The comforting roar was missing from Madhya Pradesh, which was once an undisputed tiger haven. The increase between 20 didn’t reflect uniformly because only a handful of habitats - such as Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand, Kaziranga National Park in Assam and some reserves in southern India - supported a good population. Tiger population has been on an upswing since 2006 when it dipped to an alarming 1,411 from over 3,000 in early 2000, prompting the government to form a Tiger Task Force and tighten protection measures. The species breeds quickly wherever there is adequate prey and good protection measures are in place. India has been struggling to hold on to its last few hundreds of big cats left in the wild because of rampant poaching that feeds an illegal international trade, which supplies animal parts to the traditional Chinese medicine market, and also habitat loss, prey depletion and poor management of tiger reserves.īut conservation efforts have paid off. But, initial estimate show slight and not a significant increase in numbers,” said an official. “The data from some tiger landscapes was still being collated and, therefore, we have not reached the final population figure for 2014.
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