State to recount its tigers

 
Shocked by the report of reduced tiger count in the State, the Kerala Forest Department is recounting its tiger population on its own.According to a recent tiger status report released by the National Tiger Conservation Authority, the tiger population in Kerala was around 40 as against the earlier figures of 75. The survey was conducted by the Wildlife Institute of India.According to V.S. Varghese, Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife), the survey was done in an unscientific manner and the Kerala figures were not correct. The department would write to the National Tiger Conservation Authority stating that the methodology employed by the Institute was not scientific in content, he said

The Forest Department had already completed camera trapping in some tiger habitats of the State. The exercise was progressing in other parts of the State, Mr. Varghese said. The Forest officials dispute the tiger figures of Periyar Tiger Reserve and Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary as reported in the status report. The tiger population of Wayanad is correctly reported as between 15 and 20. The report has estimated the tiger population in Periyar Tiger Reserve as 23 and 8 in Parambikulam. Going by the department figures, there should be around 40 tigers in the Periyar reserve and another 20 in Parambikulam. The total tiger population in the State should be between 75 and 80, he said.O.P. Kaler, Field Director of the Reserve, was of the view that the survey did not take into account the number of tiger cubs in the reserve. There were nearly 15 cubs when census was done last. These factors should have been correlated while finalising the report, Mr. Kaler said.

Chinnar was shown in the report as a part of Tamil Nadu and any tiger found in the area would go to their account. Moreover, there were inaccuracies in the report regarding the presence of deer like Chital and Sambur in the core area of the reserve. It was reported that chital was present in the core of the reserve whereas their presence was not reported from there for the past few decades, he said.Counting of the tigers using camera traps was progressing at Wayanad, Silent Valley, Peechi and Parambikulam, said W.S. Vincent Suting, Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife), Palakkad. These areas were known tiger habitats. There was also the presence of good prey base indicating that there would be sustainable tiger population, Mr. Suting said.

The Hindu, April 3