Bhubaneswar: Wildlife enthusiasts in the state have a lot to cheer about with Royal Bengal Tigers sighted in new areas at a time when the government is in the process of bringing three pairs of big cats from other states.
Speaking to reporters here Saturday, Forest and Environment Minister Bijayashree Routray said the presence of tigers have been confirmed through pictures captured in cameras for the first time at Hemagiri forest division in Sundargarh district and Debrigarh forest division in Sambalpur district. There is also indication of presence of tigers in Muniguda forest division of Rayagada district, he said.
Asked whether the tigers have come from neighbouring Chhattisgarh, the minister replied, “It is very difficult to say this. However, we are getting pictures of the tigers since the past six months.”
The Minister said the presence of the tigers was an indicator of good ecological balance. Efforts are on to declare Sunabeda in Nuapara district, some parts of Sundargarh district and Debrigarh as new tiger reserves in the state. Following the sighting of tigers in new areas, forest officials have been alerted and directed to intensify patrolling in these areas.
The minister further claimed that the tiger population in the state could be over 60 now. “As per the pug marks captured by cameras, we believe there are more than 60 tigers now residing in the state. It is a good sign and adds to the prestige of the state forest department,” Routray said.
“Our forests have huge potential and the population of Royal Bengal Tigers will definitely increase in future,” he claimed, adding that the state government has taken several measures to maintain tiger habitations in different places.
According to official sources, forest officials have directly sighted two tigers in Hemagiri and Debrigarh forest divisions. But, the presence of tiger in the Muniguda area of Rayagada district has not been established yet. Analysing the view of locals and killing of a goat by a wild animal indicated the presence of tiger in the area, a source said.
Tiger census is going on now and further details will be known after it is completed, an official said.
Wildlife expert Bijay Ketan Patnaik said, “It is good news that tigers have been spotted in new areas. However, the government has to ensure safety of both the tigers and the locals.”
At present, Odisha has two tiger reserves–Simlipal Tiger Reserve in Mayurbyhanj district and the Satkosia Tiger Reserve spread over Angul, Cuttack, Nayagarh and Boudh districts.
In Satkosia Tiger Reserve there was only one tigress before the state government brought two more — a male and a female — from Madhya Pradesh recently with the objective to increase the tiger population in the state.
The tiger population of the entire state was 32 (on the basis of camera trap method adopted by Wildlife Institute of India (WII)) in 2010-11 which came down to 28 in 2014-15 in the census conducted by WII using only the camera trap method. However, the state government had estimated the number of tigers at 40 during a census conducted using both camera trap and pug mark methods in 2015-16.
PNN
