Big cat set to dominate the green

There is nothing more exhilarating than the sight of the stripped golden fur of the big cat and its ferocious eyes, staring at you through the thick greenery of the tiger reserves in Karnataka. And there is comforting news now with the Tiger Census likely to show an increase in tiger numbers in the state, which could take it to the number one spot in the country. Poaching and the invasion of tiger habitats by humans, have led to a drastic decline in its population but not anymore thanks to the forest department’s initiatives. Nischith N examines the state of the big cat and how it has fared in pandemic times.

The Covid pandemic and the lockdown and curbs that it brought, have caused unthinkable devastation in human society but every cloud does have a silver lining. Decreased human activity has ironically augured well for the tiger population with the National Tiger Conservation Authority which began its Tiger census in December last year, optimistic of a 5-10% rise in the tiger population in Karnataka.

Increased conservation measures, reduced poaching cases and the pandemic have led to a jump in the tiger population in the northern Western Ghats, from Kali Tiger Reserve to Goa.

The forest department has put in extensive efforts, say officials, to increase the tiger population through different initiatives. They hope this will reflect in the upcoming census, which should be completed by April 2022.

Presently, Karnataka is home to five tiger reserves and the secondhighest tiger population in the country, after Maharashtra, according to the 2018 census. The numbers have only risen since then, officials claim.

The 2022 All-India Tiger Estimation will use the Monitoring System for Tigers: Intensive Protection and Ecological Status, or MSTriPES. The tracking system is now entirely digital, employing a GPS tracking system, General Packet Radio Services (GPRS) and remote sensing to collect information from the field. This is used to create a database using IT tools, analyse the information using GIS and statistical tools to provide inferences that will help tiger reserve managers to better manage their wildlife resources.

It comprises three modules - patrol module, which maintains a special database of patrol track logs, crime scenes with geotagged photographs and observations made by field staff, all on a mobile app. The Ecological Module is a set of standardized protocols for ecological monitoring and the Conflict Module addresses various modes of data to assess human- wildlife conflict.

“Over the last few months, we completed training the trainers and now have enough resources as well as adequate manpower to conduct the census as per NCTA guidelines,” Vijaykumar Gogi PCCF (Wildlife) told News Trail.

Karnataka has five tiger reserves- Nagarhole, Bandipur, BRT, Bhadra, Kali and MM Hills and it is claimed that the premier tiger reserves of Nagarhole-Bandipur alone which had 253 tigers in the 2018 census, could show a very good rise. The Forest and Wildlife Department has installed camera traps to monitor the population of the big cats in the sanctuary. According to reports, over 3000 plus cameras have been installed across Karnataka.

Nagarhole Tiger Reserve with an area of 643.39 square kms supported 127 tigers, as per the 2018 estimate. Like Bandipur, it has shown rising numbers with 164 big cats counted during 2019-20. Now it is claimed that the tiger density is reaching its optimum in Nagarhole and so a detailed study of the tiger population needs to be done in territorial areas.

According to the data available, from 128 resident tigers in Bandipur Tiger Reserve that has an area of 1020 sq kms, the number has increased to 148 in 2019. The BRT Tiger Reserve with an area of 574.82 square kilometres was home to 52 tigers as per the 2018 tiger count. In 2019-20, the tiger reserve showed 57 tigers. Bhadra Tiger Reserve with an area of 500.16 sq kms does not support good numbers. In 2018, it revealed 30 tigers. In 2018-19, the monitoring showed 35 big cats while in 2019-2020, the numbers fell to 33.

Kali Tiger Reserve with an area of 1097.5 sq kms was home to only four tigers as per the last tiger count. Recent internal exercises have shown 22 plus tigers.

“Trainers have been sent to the circles and the phase-wise training will begin soon. This includes methods of doing population estimates, adhering to the time frame of three months and other aspects. Our firm belief is that the conservation efforts have led to an increase in numbers,’’ said an official.

‘Healthy tigers make a good ecosystem’

Sridhar Punati

Tigers are our pride and in the forest service, our team takes up tasks strategically to preserve their population in their habitats. Habitat management and poaching prevent