News India-Times

The last census in 2001-02 put the figure at 3,642 tigers.

The much-awaited census released here February 12 says the number of India's tigers in the wild ranges between 1,165 and 1,657 - with 1,411 the figure at the middle of the range.

Releasing the highlights of the census, head of NTCA R. Gopal said the government had refined its method for counting tigers through pugmarks and involved a number of independent experts, so there was now a high degree of confidence in the result.

The census found that Madhya Pradesh has the highest number of tigers in the country, an estimated 300, followed by Karnataka at 290, and then Uttarakhand with 178.

Three important tiger habitats were not covered by the census. Work is on in West Bengal's Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest.

But in Jharkhand and in the Indravati forest of Chhattisgarh, the census was not carried out due to fear of Maoist guerrillas.

However, the census figures were extrapolated to cover these areas and thus the entire country, Gopal said.

He compared the tiger habitats in India in the 18th and 19th centuries with those today to make the point that tigers are now in fragmented forest areas, which makes it difficult for them to find mates, and that makes the species more vulnerable to extinction in the wild.

Gopal said: "Though the tiger has suffered due to direct poaching, loss of quality habitat and loss of its prey, there is still hope.

"To ensure the long-term survival of tigers in India it is imperative to offer strict protection to established source populations and manage forests by involving local communities by providing them with a direct stake in conservation."

Labels: India's Tiger population, Indian wildlife

# posted by PressMart Team @ 10:26 PM