Debrigarh to involve students in tiger estimation starting Nov

Bhubaneswar: Debrigarh wildlife sanctuary will involve students from schools and colleges in the all-India tiger estimation that will start on Nov 6. It has selected 46 students from a college.

They are being trained to work on the census along with forest personnel. The students will walk through the transect lines that are drawn inside the forest to collect signs of carnivores and herbivores. This initiative, under the theme “Conserve Today for a Wilder Tomorrow”, marks the first time that college and school students will be directly involved in the tiger estimation process.Anshu Pragyan Das, the divisional forest officer, Hirakud wildlife division, said, “By engaging youth, we are not only creating ambassadors of Debrigarh but also inspiring a generation that will continue conservation efforts with renewed vigour and creativity.”The selected students are from Dunguri College and Kamgaon College, and Lakhanpur High School. “These students are currently undergoing training on sampling protocols, data collection, and identification of various herbivores and carnivores. The training, which started on Oct 28, 2025, will continue until the first week of Nov. It includes learning to identify signs such as pugmarks, footprints, and vocalisations,” Das added.

The Debrigarh sanctuary has been divided into 26 census units, with 80 forest frontline officials participating in it. “The sign survey will start in the second week of Nov. Additionally, 107 camera traps have been deployed across 120 grids, each measuring 2 km by 2 km, to facilitate the “sign survey” and “camera trapping” methods. The scientific analysis will assess the status of carnivores, prey species, and human impacts on the habitat.The previous pan-India count in 2022 and subsequent surveys provided valuable data on prey density and leopard populations. The 2023 pre-monsoon survey recorded a prey density of 46 animals (prey) per sq km and an estimated 82 leopards in the sanctuary. The recent summer census of the gaur population found 788 animals, including 315 juveniles.