S .K. Popli, Indian Forest Service, Principal Chief Conservator Forest(Wild Life) and CWLW Odisha said, “The Odisha Forest Department will conduct a yearly tiger census starting November 1, 2023. The census will be conducted in three phases: sign survey, line-transect survey, and camera trapping. The sign survey will be carried out till October 20, followed by the line-transect survey from October 25 to October 28. The camera trapping will be done from November 1 to November 25.”
S .K. Popli said, “We are going for estimation through actual capture of the tigers in the camera trap. Apart from the Similipal and Satkosia area, we will take off this exercise the entire state excluding four coastal districts- Bhadrak, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur and Puri. From the first of November details camera trap will start. Side by side we are going for collection of pugmark and stool samples will conduct DNA analysis”
The census will be conducted in 173 beats of 16 ranges in the Similipal Tiger Reserve Project and Baripada, Rairangpur, and Karanjia Forest Division areas.
The Forest Department will adopt two methods for the tiger census: line-transact and camera trap. In the line-transect method, teams will walk along predetermined lines and record all signs of tiger presence, such as pugmarks, scats, and scratch marks on trees. In the camera trap method, cameras will be set up at strategic locations to capture images of tigers.
The census is being conducted to estimate the tiger population in Odisha and to identify areas where tigers are most active. The data collected from the census will be used to develop conservation strategies for tigers in the state.
Prakash Chand Gogineni, Director of Similipal Tiger Reserve said, “The census will continue till the end of this month, official sources said. The census is being carried out in 173 beats of 16 ranges in the Tiger Reserve Project and Baripada, Rairangpur and Karanjia Forest Division areas. It will be held from 9 am to 4 pm every day till October 31. Camera trapping will be done between November and January. Pugmarks and stool samples will be collected for DNA sampling. Eventually, all data will be submitted to the government in the form of a report,”
On the other hand, the Forest Department has seized several tiger hides while it was yet to be ascertained whether those belong to the big cats of Similipal or not.
The teams will function under the supervision of Range officers, ACF, and the Deputy Director of the reserve.
Similipal National Park in Odisha is the second-largest biosphere reserve in Asia. It stretches over an area of 2750 square kilometres. Out of which, an area of 2200 square kilometres allows ecotourism.
There are 55 species of animals, 304 species of birds, 62 species of reptiles, 37 species of fish, and 1076 types of trees inside Similipal National Park
Odisha is home to the Similipal National Park, one of the country’s most important tiger habitats. The park has a tiger population of 20, according to the latest tiger census conducted in 2022. (ANI)
