Latest news with #All-IndiaTigerEstimation
Time of India
5 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
Smaller cats give big cousins a run for their money in Bengal's tiger turf
1 2 3 4 Kolkata: A recent study by the Wildlife Institute of India and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) on lesser cats in tiger landscapes has found that of the nine lesser cat species in India, six are found in Bengal. Assam is the only other state with the presence of six lesser cats. During the All-India Tiger Estimation exercises, 26, 838 cameras were deployed in 2018-2019, followed by 32, 588 in 2022-2023, across the tiger-range forests in India. Camera trap pairs were placed in 2 square kilometre grids, designed to capture tiger, leopard along with other carnivores. In Bengal, of the 200 grids surveyed, lesser cats — jungle cat, leopard cat, fishing cat, clouded leopard, marbled cat and Aisatic golden cat — were found occupying 166 grids. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata If taken into account an independent study on pangolins by city-based NGO HEAL in Purulia's Kotshila range, Bengal is also home to rusty spotted cat — world's smallest and lightest cat — that made its debut in the state's wild this Jan. The study also highlighted Sundarbans as a stronghold for leopard cats. However, it also sounded alarm over the relatively low occupancy of jungle cats in the mangroves — the species which was found widely distributed in India. Fishing cat presence remained moderate to high in the Sundarbans. While leopard cat occupancy remained largely consistent across landscapes compared to 2018-19, Sundarbans represented a key stronghold for the species with consistently high occupancy, the study revealed. However, even though the jungle cat is widely distributed across a variety of habitats from semi-arid regions to dense rainforests, its occupancy shows marked variation across landscapes. "The Sundarbans mangrove ecosystem showed predominantly low occupancy, with only isolated pockets of moderate to high occupancy along its northern fringes," it said. "Based on the single-season occupancy model, moderate to high occupancy was recorded for fishing cats in the Sundarbans, followed by Kaziranga and Orang tiger reserves in NE. In NE India and the Sundarbans, fishing cat occupancy remained largely unchanged, although a few peripheral grids outside protected areas exhibited declines," the study highlighted. For marbled cats, the study decoded high occupancy in north Bengal's Neora Valley National Park and low occupancy in Buxa, Gorumara and Jaldapara national parks in the same region. However, Buxa has recorded high occupancy of another lesser cat — clouded leopard. Whilemoderate occupancy was recorded in Neora Valley and Gorumara, its presence was found to be low in Jaldapara and Mahananda. The occupancy of Asiatic golden cat, the largest among the Asian small cats, was found to be moderate in the forests of Neora Valley and Buxa, the study said. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Time of India
28-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Corbett, Rajaji nearing saturation, but half of tiger reserves operating below capacity
Dehradun: Nearly 50% of India's tiger reserves are operating below their carrying capacity, but in Uttarakhand, reserves like Corbett and Rajaji are nearing saturation, raising concerns of increased human-wildlife conflict as tigers begin moving into non-protected areas. Wildlife experts said that unless habitat quality improves in low-density reserves across the country, the growing tiger population could soon become unmanageable. The warning comes ahead of International Tiger Day, observed on Tuesday. "Nationwide reserves with historically low tiger densities due to habitat degradation or fragmentation must now be urgently restored to accommodate spillover from saturated zones. Without serious habitat restoration, rising tiger numbers will become unmanageable," said Qamar Qureshi, former senior scientist at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and co-author of the All-India Tiger Estimation (AITE) 2022. "Poaching and conflict are major concerns. Habitat rewilding takes 8–10 years to show results. We are already late." In Uttarakhand, which now hosts an estimated 560 tigers — including around 260 in Corbett and approximately 54 in Rajaji — officials said the pressure is increasing. "With Corbett and eastern Rajaji nearing full capacity, tigers are beginning to move into non-protected areas, increasing the likelihood of conflicts," a senior IFS officer said. A preliminary WII report on the carrying capacity of tiger reserves in the state highlights this shift. Though yet to be finalised, the report suggests that Corbett can support 20 tigers per 100sqkm, eastern Rajaji 14, and western Rajaji just eight per 100sqkm, forest officials said. "Corbett and eastern Rajaji are nearing saturation. They offer the best habitat and, as a result, the tiger population is increasing," said Ranjan Mishra, chief wildlife warden of Uttarakhand. India's tiger population rose to 3,682 in the 2022 estimation, making up over 70% of the world's wild tiger count. However, experts warn that without parallel investment in habitat restoration and connectivity corridors, the growing numbers could become unsustainable. The National Tiger Conservation Authority has identified habitat saturation and lack of buffer space as emerging risks in states with high tiger densities, including Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Karnataka. The rising population is also shifting fatality trends. Tigers have caused more human deaths (9) than leopards (6) in the state so far this year, reversing the usual pattern. "The rising tiger population is both an asset and a responsibility for Uttarakhand," Mishra said.
Time of India
02-07-2025
- Time of India
Forest minister orders audit of tiger deaths in Karnataka over past 5 years
Bengaluru: Following the poisoning of five tigers at MM Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, forest minister Eshwar Khandre on Tuesday ordered an audit of tiger mortality in various tiger reserves (national parks) and wildlife sanctuaries of Karnataka. Delving into the activities of the wildlife wing, shortly after sending errant forest officials of MM Hills sanctuary on compulsory leave, the minister sought within 10 days a complete review of tiger deaths over the past five and a half years. As per the All-India Tiger Estimation report of 2022, Karnataka stood second in the country in tiger population, with 563 tigers in five reserves. However, subsequent surveys of big cats reduced these numbers to 408 in 2023 and 393 in 2024. Further, reports based on the tiger mortality details available with the National Tiger Conservation Authority revealed the death of 82 tigers in Karnataka over the past 5.5 years. Shocked by the alarming number of tiger deaths in the state, long known for its conservation practices, Khandre has directed both the additional chief secretary of forests, environment and ecology department and the principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) to review the 82 deaths. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký Undo In his letter to the bureaucrats, he wrote: "Enumerate how many of these 82 tigers died natural deaths and how many met with unnatural deaths and the reasons for the unnatural deaths. " You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru Amid doubts over the possible involvement of poachers, the minister also asked the officials to furnish details of tiger mutilation after death to extract body parts. Noting lapses on the part of foresters, as acknowledged in the MM Hills case, the minister also questioned whether the department has initiated action against any official held guilty in any tiger mortality case, besides demanding details of the conviction rate in unnatural death cases. Nod for Palar checkpost After drawing criticism for ignoring the pleas of Chamarajanagar police to set up separate checkposts along the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border at Palar, the forest department has finally given approval to construct a checkpost. TOI had reported on the department's silence over the checkpost plea of the Chamarajanagar SP. The outgoing chief wildlife warden, Subhash Malkhede, on Monday approved the request to sanction 15x15 land within MM Hills Wildlife Sanctuary at the intersection of Palar and Gopinatham near Palar bridge. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Doctor's Day 2025 , messages and quotes!
Indian Express
05-06-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Explained: State of India's tiger prey, why challenges to their habitat need to be addressed
For the first time, a detailed assessment of the status of ungulates (hoofed mammals), including deer, pigs, antelopes, and bison, has estimated their abundance across India. It has revealed a decline in their populations in several states and highlighted conservation challenges, such as habitat loss and deforestation. The findings are crucial for the conservation of India's tigers and forests, as ungulates form the core prey base of the striped cat and other large predators. India currently has more than 3,600 tigers, accounting for 70% of the world's tiger population. Additionally, the animals help regulate forests and soil health with their feeding habits. The National Tiger Conservation Authority and the Wildlife Institute of India prepared the assessment report, using data from the 2022 All-India Tiger Estimation exercise to estimate the animals' distribution and density. India's tiger prey base, mainly comprising the chital (spotted deer), sambar (large deer), and the vulnerable gaur (Indian bison), presents a highly uneven distribution across forest landscapes. The report drew on extensive direct and indirect evidence, like field surveys, camera traps, and dung signs collected during the 2022 estimation exercise. According to the findings, spotted deer, sambar, and gaur populations are thriving in large parts of the country, but declining in east-central India in Odisha, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh. The signs of prey decline and low density are due to severe habitat degradation, infrastructure development and mining that fragments forests, left-wing extremism, and subsistence hunting by residents. Forests in Uttarakhand, Western Ghats, central India and the northeast have a fairly healthy population of ungulates. However, small and isolated populations of species such as barasingha, wild buffalo, pygmy hog, and hog deer face bottlenecks in their genetic diversity, with habitat fragmentation preventing the intermixing of different animals. The core tiger prey species are abundant, especially within tiger reserves and national parks, but not so much in sanctuaries that receive a comparatively lower level of protection, and even less in forest divisions abutting tiger reserves. Health of different species The chital (spotted deer) remains the most abundant ungulate across Indian forests. Its wide distribution and ability to thrive in a variety of habitats, including forest edges and agricultural interfaces, make it a key prey species for tigers. The population of the sambar, another crucial prey animal, remains stable across most tiger landscapes, particularly in central India and the Western Ghats. The wild pig, an adaptable species, is also found in good numbers across regions. The Nilgai and the gaur show healthy populations in many areas. Nilgai, India's largest antelope, is highly adaptable and often ventures into farmland, while gaur prefers dense forests and uneven terrain, and is especially abundant in the Western Ghats and parts of central India, Eastern Ghats, and northeastern Himalayan foothills. In contrast, species with narrow ecological preferences are faring poorly. Populations of the hog deer, which live in grasslands and floodplains, have significantly declined due to the destruction and fragmentation of their preferred wetlands and swamp habitats. Their current distribution is confined to isolated patches in the Terai grasslands and floodplains of the Ganga and Brahmaputra. Similarly, the once widespread barasingha or swamp deer is now limited to select locations such as Kanha, Dudhwa, and Kaziranga. Despite some successful reintroduction efforts in Bandhavgarh and Satpura, the species remains vulnerable due to its dependency on specific wetland-grassland ecosystems. Significance for tigers Loss of habitat, especially quality habitat, competition with livestock and humans, conflict with humans, deforestation, development projects and subsistence hunting are some of the key challenges to the ungulate population. A fall in their numbers affects the ecological balance of forests both inside and outside tiger reserves. The lack of prey base is also a double whammy for tigers, impacting the existing tiger occupancy and forcing them to kill livestock and smaller species. Secondly, tiger-abundant regions such as Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh are nearing their capacity to sustain their wildlife population with available resources (what is known as 'carrying capacity'). As a result, tigers often wander towards the east-central states, but struggle to occupy the forests due to poor prey base and other pressures on the ecosystem. These states have a high potential to harbour a substantial tiger population, but it will be contingent on improvements in habitat and prey, and stepping up their protection. Another direct fallout of low prey base is tigers moving beyond the reserves to hunt livestock, putting them in closer contact with humans, who kill tigers in retaliation for livestock depredation. In states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, ungulates such as wild pigs and nilgai often damage crops, adding another dimension to the human-wildlife conflict due to the loss of wild habitats. A major concern is the conversion of swampy grasslands, seasonal wetlands, and floodplains into urban settlements or farmlands. Linear infrastructure, such as highways, railways and power lines, can fragment the contiguity of ungulate habitats, disturbing the survival of wildlife, as well as forest dynamics. The report prescribes augmenting prey populations through on-site breeding in enclosures to protect them from predators.
