Tiger Census Begins in Indore with 21 Paw Prints
The first signs of the tiger census came from the forests of Indore as 21 tiger paw prints were found on December 18, marking the start of the tiger count. In a dense forest spanning 60 square kilometers within the Indore forest division, 21 tiger paw prints and 74 leopard paw prints were found across 103 beats. The census will continue until December 24.
Under the directives of the National Tiger Conservation Authority, the tiger census is conducted every four years. This year, alongside counting tigers, the census will also track both herbivorous and carnivorous wildlife. In Indore, a master plan has been developed for the tiger census under the guidance of the National Tiger Conservation Authority. For the first time, two days of preparatory training will be held in the Indore forest division for the census.
The Census Process in Four Phases
The All India Tiger Census, organized every four years as per the guidelines of the National Tiger Conservation Authority, is a major initiative for wildlife conservation. It helps determine wildlife protection policies for India and the states. The 2023 census will occur in four phases:
- Phase 1: Ground surveys to gather signs such as tiger and other carnivore tracks, scat, scratches on trees, and remains of animals that have been preyed upon.
- Phase 2: Assessment of forest damage, illegal encroachments, wildlife corridors, and human interference, integrated with satellite-based remote sensing data.
- Phase 3: Monitoring of wildlife in selected forest grids using camera traps. Tigers will be identified based on unique markings and their numbers will be estimated using the capture-recapture method.
- Phase 4: Statistical analysis of data collected from all phases to prepare a final scientific report.
Preparations in Indore
Indore’s Divisional Forest Officer, Pradeep Mishra, reported that training for the tiger census has already been conducted at the forest division level. Additionally, two days of mock drills for the census were scheduled on December 11 and 12. Administrative coordination is managed by SDO Rala Mandla Yohann Katara, while technical coordination is handled by Forest Guard Praveen Meena.
As part of the effort, around 100 cameras are being deployed across Indore's forested regions, covering 200 square kilometers out of the total 700 square kilometers. The forest area has been divided into 2-square-kilometer grids, with cameras installed to monitor wildlife. The Wildlife Conservation Trust is collaborating on this effort, with the coordination of camera trapping managed by Wildlife Conservation Trust's Biologist Program Manager, Vivek Tumsare.