Tamil Nadu has got number of tigers now than before
Posted on: 20/Dec/2019 9:54:42 AM
Would you believe this!! In the year 2006, the number of tigers present in TN was just 76 in the wildlife sanctuaries of Kalakkad- Mudanthurai or KMTR in Tirunelveli, Mudumalai in Nilgris and Aanamalai in Coimbatore district.
The sensational news is the population of this majestic and beautiful looking �big cat� has increased now. It is revealed that the tiger count now after 13 years has increased 4 times.
Various factors that played a huge role in increasing the tiger count now were scientific data collection on the tiger population, increased patrolling and better management of forest areas, etc. This was according to some forest officials.
According to Mr. Sanjay Kumar Srivastava, TN chief wildlife warden and principal chief conservator of forests, increased forest area, adoption of scientific methods like camera traps to account for the tiger population plus better monitoring and anti-poaching team has led to the steady increase in the tiger population in TN.
One important piece of information is the announcement of Sathyamangalam as the fourth tiger reserve in TN has increased the tiger population tremendously. There is better record keeping work about the tigers done by the officials.
Indirect sighting of pug marks was used from 1973 to 2005 to count the number of tigers and this old method was one of the reasons why the actual population of tigers was not got. From the 2006 year onwards, a new method was adopted where the total area of tiger reserve was divided into units of 5 sq km.
It must be noted that the number of volunteers and the days to do the counting of tigers was increased. In the past, counting was done by a handful of enthusiasts and it turned to a sizable number. In the same way, the two-day work of counting became a week-long one. This was as per an official.
