Tiger census in Bandipur-Nagarhole-BRT sanctuary from tomorrow

Bangalore, Dec 17: Tiger

is set to be held in Bandipur-Nagarhole-BRT Wildlife Sanctuary from December 18 and 23. The area is contiguous with Mudumalai in Tamil Nadu and Wayanad in Kerala and the number of tigers in the entire Western Ghats landscape including the three southern states is between 410 and 520, as per the reports published by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) in 2010.

The Bandipur-Nagarhole-BRT belt alone has 160-200 tigers as per the last counting and according to the Bandipur Tiger Reserve authorities, the numbers could go up because of a high quality protection and high-prey density to support the tiger population. In Bandipur, one tiger is found in every 8 square kilometres.

The Bandipur-Nagarhole-BRT alone has 160-200 tigers as per last counting

However, the exercise will not only focus on counting tigers but also examining the quality of habitat and the flora and the fauna in the forest. Besides the carnivores, the condition of the herbivore population will also be assessed, along with that of the landscape supporting them.

The NTCA has recognised Karnataka to be home of the highest number of tigers in the country, toppling Madhya Pradesh.

The census starting tomorrow will not be limited to the Project Tiger reserves but also outside national parks where the tigers are more disperse. The volunteers have been trained for the project and the first batch comprising 100 volunteers completed their training on Monday at Bandipur.

OneIndia News