Karnataka: Tiger census gets off to a start

The Phase-I field exercise of the All-India Tiger Estimation-2026 (AITE-26) began in Karnataka as part of the sixth cycle of the nationwide tiger census, on January 5.

A press note issued by the Forest Department said AITE is conducted once every four years to assess the status of the tiger population in the country. Five cycles have already been conducted in 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022.

Ramesh Kumar P., Chief Conservator of Forests (Project Tiger), Mysuru, the State Nodal Officer for AITE-26 in Karnataka, stated in a press release that as per the latest estimation in 2022, India has 3,682 tigers, accounting for nearly 70% of the world’s wild tiger population. Karnataka currently has 563 tigers, the second-highest in the country after Madhya Pradesh.

The Phase-I exercise will be conducted across 54 forest divisions in Karnataka and comprises two components — a Carnivore Sign Survey and a Line Transect Survey — using the M-STrIPES ecological mobile application.

The carnivore sign survey will be conducted in two blocks from January 5 to 7 and January 15 to 17, during which forest personnel will collect very fresh and fresh scat samples of carnivores such as tigers and leopards, and at least five herbivore dung and pellets in zip lock bags provided by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) for DNA analysis. A total of 2,700 zip lock bags have been provided to the State by the WII, the release said.

The Line Transect Survey, aimed at estimating herbivore populations through direct sightings, will be conducted in five blocks in the 54 forest divisions between January 9 and February 5. Ungulates such as spotted deer, sambar, Indian gaur, and wild pig will be recorded using range finders and see-through compasses.

A total of 9,276 forest staff have been deployed for the Phase-I exercise.

Phase-II of the tiger estimation will be carried out at WII, Dehradun, using remote sensing and Geographic Information System techniques, while Phase-III will involve camera trap surveys. Karnataka has 2,230 camera traps in five tiger reserves and these will be shared among the forest divisions. The survey is under way in all five tiger reserves, the release stated.