Tiger Reserves

Noting a 6% rise in the tiger population in the country, experts on Tuesday suggested a need for greater flexibility to increase habitat for the feline for their protection.

Speaking at the national workshop on monitoring systems for tigers intensive patrolling and ecological status, Y. V. Jhalla, principal scientist of the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), said the 6% increase in the population of big cats was due to several measures taken to protect them.

The recent count of the big cat has revealed that around 2,200 Royal Bengal Tigers and 7,910 leopards are present in 13 tiger reserves in the country, he said, adding it was determined through camera trap method now in use.

Increased habitat

Experts from all the 13 tiger reserves of the country stressed on greater flexibility to increase tiger habitat and other favourable measures that could boost the population of the big cat.

The workshop, organised by National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), was mainly held for interaction on preservation of Royal Bengal Tigers considering the challenges faced by different tiger reserve authorities.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Odisha, Siddhanta Das said the preservation of the big cat family was necessary for the existence of mankind as without the presence of the tigers in the forest, air, moisture, perennial water sources would vanish, causing ecological disaster.

“If the family of the big cat were not protected, Similipal sanctuary would also turn into a desert,” he pointed out citing that the conflict between man and animal had caused a lot of difficulties to the balance of ecology in Similipal.

India, he said, topped the list in the world for maximum funding for the preservation of tigers.

In order to make the sanctuary area free from human interference, the Similipal tiger reserve authority had chalked out programmes to relocate the villages from the core and buffer area.

Those areas would be converted to meadows for wildlife fodder, he said. - PTI