Baripada: With Union Environment Ministry’s report showing a worrying decline in the state’s wild cats population, Odisha government on Wednesday began its own tiger census in in Similipal Tiger Reserve and Baripada, Rairangpur and Satkosia (Karanjia) forest division areas in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district.
The All Odisha Tiger Estimation is being undertaken in three phases. In the first phase, a sign survey will be carried out till October 20 through pugmarks and other signs of carnivores. Following that the department will move on to a line-transect survey in the second phase from October 25-28 to count the herbivores. The third and final phase of the census will be conducted through the camera trapping method from November 1-25 in which 400 to 500 cameras will be installed at potential sites for tracking the carnivores, informed in-charge field director of the Simili Tiger Reserve and RCCF Baripada circle Prakash Chand Gogineni informed.
Around 700 forest department employees from more than 200 beat houses in the Similipal forest will join the exercise.
“The campaign will continue till January, when the report will be submitted,” he added.
THE EXERCISE
For STR Ranges:
1: Similipal South
2: Similipal North
3: Satkosia (Karanjia Division)
4: Bisoi(Rairangpur Division)
5: Kaptipada part and Baripada Part ( Baripada Division)
Sign Survey: October 18-20
Line Transact: October 25-28
Survey of Vulture and Other birds: October 29
Camera Trap: November 1- 25
28.11.23-22.12.23 (Block-2)
25.12.22-18.01.24 (Block-3)
For Ranges other than STR
1: Baripada Division
2: Karanjia Division
3: Rairangpur Division
4: Balasore WL
5: Keonjhar WL
Sign Survey: October 25-30
Camera Trap: November 1-25
Three scientists from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) had recently conducted training for master trainers and imparted handholding training to around 20 officials at Chandka Godibari camp for the census.
According to All-India Tiger Estimation (AITE) 2022 released in July, the total number of tigers in Odisha’s forests has come down to 20 in 2022 from 45 in 2006 with one of its two notified tiger reserves, the Satkosia Tiger Reserve, left with none. Between 2018 and 2022, the state registered a drop in the population of the big cat from 28 to 20 with STR as the only silver lining, which saw the number double from eight to 16 during the period.
While experts attributed the sharp decline in the number of big cats to rampant poaching, some officials raised questions on the methodology of counting the tigers, which they argued might not be an accurate reflection of the presence, habitat occupancy and number of tigers in Odisha, as the sampling intensity was relatively low. Many tigers, who are adults now, were cubs and, thus, not counted during the census exercise around 2021, they added.
