Tiger census result to be out on March 26

New Delhi, Feb 10 (PTI) The results of the much-awaitedscientific census of tigers, currently underway, will be madepublic at the end of next month, Environment and ForestsMinister Jairam Ramesh said here today.

"It is on 26th March," Ramesh said when asked when is theresults of the census of the big cat are expected.

Tigers are there in "protected areas" -- tiger reserves,national parks and wildlife sanctuaries -- in 19 states in thecountry.

The census is being carried out by installing cameras atstrategic points, like water bodies in the forests where thetigers go for water, in their respective territories and acomputer analysis is being done to ascertain their presence.

Though preliminary analysis of the ongoing census oftigers in the forests indicates that their numbers might haveincreased, there has been concern over the rise in the casesof man-animal conflict.

Forest officials had killed a "man-eater" tiger inJanuary after a half-eaten human body was recovered in CorbettNational Park in Uttarakhand. A tigress, suspected of killingfour women in two weeks, was also shot by hunters in January.

The 2007 census had shown a sharp fall in the number oftigers in the country. According to it, India had only 1,411wild cats left in its forests.