Tiger count reaches saturation: Expert
Tiger population in most of the reserves in India has reached the saturation point, the country’s leading tiger biologist, Qamar Qureshi, on Monday said at an Indo-Bangladesh training session that launched the census in the Sunderbans spread across the two countries.
“The capacity of most of the tiger reserves in India has reached a saturation point if we take into account the prey base (animals tigers feed on). The density of tiger population in the reserves is unlikely to increase unless the prey base increases,” said Qureshi, a senior biologist at Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
India has 50 tiger reserves, with a population of 2,226 big cats, according to the 2014 tiger census. The 2018 general census was announced in November last year and is being conducted in coordination with Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar so that a more accurate estimate can be made based on the same methodology. Since 2006, India has recorded an annual growth of 6% in its tiger population.
“There are 10 reserves in the country, including Buxa in West Bengal, where steps are being taken to increase the population. We have about 2,500 tigers in the country right now and the reserves can accommodate another 500 at the most,” said Qureshi.
According to the biologist, the quality of habitat outside the reserves is depleting fast and there has been a 90% reduction in prey base barely 2 km outside reserves and national parks.
Spread across India and Bangladesh, the Sunderbans is the world’s fifth largest tiger habitat and is also the only mangrove forest where the big cats are found.
The census will be conducted in two phases to avoid the summer and monsoon season, said Ravi Kant Sinha, principal chief conservator of forests and chief wildlife warden, West Bengal. Also, Sunderbans is the only place where people conducting the census will be moving in boats.
According to the 2014 census, the Indian part of the Sunderbans was home to 76 tigers while Bangladesh had 106.
Forest officials from Nepal and Bhutan have taken part in joint training sessions held in Bihar and Assam, respectively.
The report will be published in 2019.
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