Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, Jan 23: A day after the state government urged the ministry of environment, forest and climate change to re-examine the recently-released tiger census report, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) Friday claimed the report was accurate.
State forest and environment minister Bikram Keshari Arukh Friday rejected the census report and lashed out at the NTCA, saying accurate statistics will emerge only after the census process is over January 25.
“The third and last phase of the census estimation by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) is under progress, so how can the NTCA say only 28 tigers are left in Orissa compared to 32 in 2010? The report has serious flaws,” the minister said.
A debate ensued immediately after the release of the NTCA report that claimed a decline in the numbers of the big cat in Orissa from 32 in 2010 to 28 in 2014 due to a decrease in prey base.
The state government and NTCA have locked horns over the report, as the former is facing criticism ever since the national report was released.
The state’s principal chief conservator of forests (Wildlife) SS Srivastava Thursday wrote to the ministry and the apex body of tiger conservation — the NTCA – to reassess the estimation as the government was confident of more tigers in Orissa due to strict measures taken by the government.
“It is evident from over 400 camera trappings received from the tiger reserves of Orissa that feline count has actually gone down in the state because of conspicuous reasons — mainly decrease in prey base,” NTCA’s member secretary Rajesh Gopal told Orissa POST over phone from New Delhi, adding the report is 100 per cent accurate.
Gopal further said tiger estimation is a continuous process and if NTCA finds more tigers in Similipal and Satkosia reserves in the next few months, the national census report would be revised and details incorporated.
“There is a Maoist conflict in Orissa which has certainly led to a disturbance in tiger reserves. It will take time to improve the tiger base in the state,” Gopal said.
On the contrary, Srivastava claimed the prey base has improved in the state due to efforts taken by the government for tiger conservation. “We feel something is wrong in the national report and the figures of tigers in Orissa need to be reassessed thoroughly,” he said.
