Tiger population @ Mudumalai is encouraging
A tiger spotted at the Mudumalai tiger sanctuary.Tiger population data recorded at the Mudumalai sanctuary in the Nilgiris is very encouraging, according to K. Sankar, Professor and Research Co-coordinator, Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun.During the census this time, Dr. Sankar, along with a team, set camera traps in the sanctuary, which was declared a tiger reserve in April this year. Normally the census of tigers is conducted through identification of individual pug marks, before a rough estimate of the population is arrived at.Dr. Sankar said preliminary analysis of the data revealed that, excluding cubs, more than 22 tigers were found in a 110-sqkm area. In the 2005 census, the authorities recorded the presence of 22 tigers in 350 sqkm, he said. Thirty pairs of camera traps were set up in the area. The preparatory works began in January this year, and the data was collected in the next two months. “Every two sqkm, a pair of cameras was fixed to monitor the movement of big cats,” Dr. Sankar said. Usually one camera was used. But, this time a pair was fixed on either side of the identified location.The traps were set up far away from human habitations, as the officials apprehended that illegal entrants could steal the instruments to avoid being caught. They faced a similar challenge in some other States. Another observation made by the team was that the elephants in Mudumalai were not as agitated as their cousins in the Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala. They were not accustomed to human presence or light. So, they damaged several camera traps, he said.The census data from Tamil Nadu had been sent to the WII for consolidation. The final results would be released by this year-end.
The WII authorities are now radio-collaring tigers in the wild. Dr. Sankar’s team has already radio-collared nine tigers in central India, eight in Kanha and one in Pench.Dr. Sankar said: “We will take up radio-collaring of tigers in Kaziranga in the northeast and Sundarbans in the eastern region. Similarly Perambikulam and Mudumalai or Top Slip will be selected in the southern region for the work. We need an elephant camp while radio-collaring the tigers, as we need to track the collared animals on a regular basis.”
