Baripada: In the wake of concerns regarding the number of big cats in the State, the Odisha Forest Department began the tiger census on Tuesday in Similipal National Park.
The state government decided to conduct the tiger census after the All-India Tiger Estimation (AITE) 2022 report, which was published in July of this year, revealed that the overall number of tigers in the forests of Odisha had decreased from 45 in 2006 to 20 during the year.
The forest department has started the headcount at Similipal and all areas, including Satakosia, Kaptipada, and Bisoi, under Baripada, Rairangpur, and Karanjia sub-divisions in the Mayurbhanj district as part of the all Odisha tiger census.
The census is being undertaken in three phases:
- A signed survey will be carried out in the first phase until October 20
- A line-transect study in the second phase from October 25 to October 28
- The camera trapping method is from November 1 to November 25
As many as 700 staff from the forest department will participate in the census from more than 200 beat homes in the Similipal forest, according to the deputy director of the Similipal Tiger Reserve.
Odisha had 45 tigers in 2006, according to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). In 2010, there were 32 less. In 2018, it fell even more, to 28.
The best location in the nation for tiger breeding, according to the NTCA, is Similipal. The authorities spend between Rs 12 and Rs 13 crore annually for the welfare of the big cats.
