Team Herald
PANJIM: The tiger census across Goa’s wilds will begin on Tuesday. The exercise, part of the All India Tiger Estimate 2018, is expected to give a major boost to declaring certain pockets of protected areas as ‘tiger reserves’.
The census, conducted once in four years, will involve the use of the camera-trap method extensively, going more hi-tech with far more accuracy and precision. The survey, which will conclude on June 1, is expected to determine the tiger population based on habitat characteristics, prey availability and anthropogenic pressure.
The last tiger census was conducted in 2014, which had reported the presence of five tigers – one male, two females and two cubs.
Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Dr Anil Kumar said that the census will be conducted across 67 transit spread over all five protected areas, in three phases beginning from Tuesday. “In phase one, which will be for three days, it will be the carnivores’ survey and the next three days it is going to be herbivores survey. The first two phases will conclude by May 6,” he explained.
Kumar said that the first two surveys will help ascertain pockets where there is a tiger presence. “Those areas would be identified for deploying the camera trap for a period of 25 days till June 1,” he said adding that the data would be monitored on a regular basis, which will also help to have sightings of other animals like sambar deer, wild boar, spotted deer, bison, leopards, etc.
The camera-trap automatically records the track log of surveys and line transects, as well as authenticates the recorded data on signs and animal sightings.
“With increased camera trap density, estimates arrived at are likely to be more robust in terms of accuracy and precision. This will help us know the overall richness of biodiversity and more facts on tiger presence in the State wilds,” he said.
Around 77 volunteers from Goa, Karnataka, Hyderabad and Madhya Pradesh will assist the forest officials in the survey. They have been provided jungle training by the officials.
“During the first two surveys, the tiger scar that we get, will be sent to Wildlife Institute of India for analysis,” he said.
Responding to a question, he said that the results of the census will help in declaring certain pockets of the protected areas as tiger reserves. “That could be the logical conclusion. We all know that the Western Ghats are a corridor for tigers. They are mostly spotted in the protected wilds of Mhadei. But during the last survey they were spotted in Mollem wildlife sanctuary,” he said.
The tiger estimation exercise is the world’s largest wildlife survey effort in terms of coverage, intensity of sampling and quantum of camera trapping.
