Bhubaneswar: The All India Tiger Estimation Report, 2018 was announced on the Global Tiger Day. The census was good news as tiger numbers have more than doubled in the country, according to the latest data.
While most of the states registered a positive trend, the tiger population in Odisha remained the same. There were 28 tigers in Odisha during the previous estimates (2014) as well.
The survey is carried out every four years. Odisha had 45 tigers in 2006, which came down to 32 in 2010.
But quite a few wildlife conservationists in the state remain skeptic of the numbers. The authorities in Odisha have always been in a tug of war with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) regarding the method of the census.
Wildlife expert, Lala AK Singh— who has been a senior researcher with the Govt of Odisha— has dismissed the numbers. While lauding the fact that the tiger numbers haven’t gone down in the state, he doesn’t consider the new census method to be authentic either.
The new census methodology introduced during the 2006 estimation exercise is considered to be more technology driven than the previous methods of monitoring tigers.
“Tiger numbers in the country dropped to around 1,400 after they introduced cameras to track tigers in 2006. They used just 15 pairs of cameras in Odisha to figure out the number of tigers and pegged the number at 45.
That was inadequate for the survey. Cameras can’t replace the traditional survey methods that involved co-operating with staff from the grass roots level that has more knowledge about the animal and the topography.
Technology has its limitations. It should be used for research purposes, not to carry out census,” says Singh.
Prior to 2006, forest departments conducted the census by relying on the pug mark methodology, or by counting the paw prints. The pugmark method had also come under the scanner due to its inaccuracy.
Sanjib Das, former Wildlife Warden of Khurda district and currently with ‘People For Animals’ is almost certain that Odisha has more than 28 tigers. “The state government is trying to do its best to conserve tigers and encourage in-breeding. The census is not proper due to lack of camera traps, no proper documentation of pug impression pad (PIP) and non-involvement of local stakeholders.”
Increased occupation of forest spaces by the locals and depleting green cover is being widely seen as being a hindrance to encourage the flourishing of wildlife in the state. “If space is provided for tigers and local communities become the primary beneficiaries of forest regeneration that enhances biodiversity instead of depleting it, then there are chances of more than 10,000 tigers surviving,” adds Sanjib Das.