Volunteers invited for conducting Tiger Census in Telangana

The Telangana Forest Department, through a catchy tagline ‘Earn Your Stripes’, is inviting volunteers for participation in the All India Tiger Estimation (AITE)- 2026, a quadrennial exercise to know the number and status of the apex predator and other wildlife in the State’s forest areas.

Spearheaded by the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun together with National Tiger Conservation Authority, AITE 2026 will cover over 8.27 lakh sq. km across India‘s landscapes, involving more than 65,000 forest beats nationwide. Telangana will contribute data from over 3,000 forest beats covering 26,000 square kilometres.

Volunteers are sought from among citizens, students, NGOs and local communities for conducting the ‘Transect and Trail Walk’ scheduled between January 17 and 23.

All participants will be part of a transparent, globally recognised scientific process, with three core activities, namely habitat conservation and restoration, species protection and anti-poaching efforts, community engagement, education and advocacy, a statement from the Forest department said.

Eligible candidates should be between 18 and 60 years of age, and possess an ability to walk 10-12 kilometres per day across rugged forest terrain, a statement from the department informed. They should be able to live in remote camps with minimal facilities.

The volunteers should strictly adhere to rules and guidelines issued by the department while carrying out the enumeration exercise. They must commit for an entire week, and bring their own trekking shoes. While no honorarium may be expected, the Forest department will provide accommodation with simple food, and field transport for the exercise.

All volunteers will receive hands-on training in the latest field protocols, including the use of the M-STrIPES mobile app for data recording. They are expected to assist forest staff in conducting transect and trail walks across designated forest beats to record — apart from direct sightings — signs and evidence of wildlife presence such as tracks, scats, pellets, and other indirect indicators.

They will also help in habitat quality assessment, vegetation sampling, documentation of human & cattle pressures and recording of direct sightings using the mobile application. Each volunteer will be paired with trained frontline staff and will be expected to walk 10–15 kilometres per day under varying terrain and climatic conditions while maintaining discipline, teamwork and adherence to safety protocols. Volunteers must diligently collect accurate field data, and respect forest laws and wildlife, the statement noted.

Those interested to participate may contact the department through its official website, or click the link ‘https://tinyurl.com/aite2026tg’ for application.

Fore more queries, one may contact the helpline 18004255364 or 040-23231440 or approach through WhatsApp at 9803338666 or email at ‘[email protected]’. The applications are open up to 11.59 pm on November 22.