NEWS

Tiger census commenced at Bandipur at Nagarahole on Sunday as part of the All-India Tiger and Mega Herbivore Estimation recently

ABOUT TIGER CENSUS

• Part of the nation-wide enumeration that is held once in four years
• Conducted by National Tiger Conservation Authority
• 2022 is fifth such exercise being taken up
• Authorities at Bandipur have divided the 912.04 sq km national park into three blocks to carry out the enumeration
• Enumeration exercise entails the use of MSTRIPES (Monitoring System for Tigers Intensive Protection and Ecological Status) app and apart from the tiger counts, the exercise will also throw up data on mega herbivores, including elephants and gaurs. The use of apps ensures that the data is not only digitised but is uploaded on a real-time basis and is robust.
• Training was imparted by experts from Wildlife Institute of India and the enumeration is being held as per the protocols stipulated by the National Tiger Conservation Authority.
• Authorities have deployed only the department officials and frontline field staff apart from members of the Special Tiger Force squad for the exercise
• Sign survey of tiger scat, pug marks etc., for carnivores will also be taken
• Enumeration would also throw up data of the tiger numbers in non-protected areas.

National Tiger Conservation Authority

• Statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
• Established in 2005 following the recommendations of the Tiger Task Force.
• Constituted under enabling provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, as amended in 2006, for strengthening tiger conservation, as per powers and functions assigned to it.