PANJIM: The much-awaited tiger census, which would help ascertain the exact number of big cats in the State, is set to begin from April 30 with the Goa Forest Department inviting applications from volunteers to assist experts.
The week-long census that will conclude on May 6 is part of the All India Tiger Estimation 2018 wherein The National Tiger Conservation Authority conducts the exercise pan-India every four years.
The department has invited applications from volunteers, essentially wildlife lovers and those well-versed with the subject, as this experience will boost carrying out the exercise that would be spread across all the wildlife protected areas (national parks & sanctuaries) in the State.
“For every tiger census and animal census in the State wild, we always invite applications from wildlife lovers to participate as volunteers. During the last census too, the same procedure was followed. It boosts the exercise as the volunteers are familiar with the subject,” a senior forest official told Herald. The current year will have more participation than the last exercise carried out in 2014.
In a first, the department this year will make use of aerial drones on experimental basis.
During the last census conducted in 2014, the presence of five tigers was recorded in the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary while in August 2017, the camera-trap technology had recorded the presence of five tigers – one male, two females and two cubs.
While conducting the census, incidents of tiger sightings by people will be taken into consideration and importance will be given to pug marks, excreta, remnants of prey among others. “As a part of the exercise, after recording the evidence, camera traps are installed to capture their movements. This time a drone would also be installed,” he said.
The contiguous forests of Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra and the reserve forests and wildlife sanctuary of Radhanagari in Karnataka, Chandoli National Park and the reserve forests of Purna and Dodamarg in Maharashtra have been named as Tiger Conservation Units (TCU) (minimum habitat area to support 50 tigers or documented evidence of 50 tigers).
