There has been significant rise in tiger population in Assam and Andhra Pradesh since the last tiger census. While the tiger population in Assam has increased to 200 in 2021 from 159 in 2018, in Andhra Pradesh it increased from 47 to 63 since the All India Tiger Estimation-2018.
Moreover, three of Assam’s Tiger reserves- Kaziranga, Manas, and Orang, have also received the accreditation of the Global Conservation Assured/Tiger Standards (CA/TS) this month. This certification is done on the basis of meeting the criterion of effective management of target species for successful tiger conservation At present, there are 121 big cats in Kaziranga, 48 in Manas, 28 in Orang, and three in Nameri tiger reserves.
Assam and Madhya Pradesh are the only two states in the country where three tiger reserves have received the CA/TS accreditation.
Minister for Environment and Forests in Assam Parimal Suklabaidya said on Thursday on the occasion of Global Tiger Day that the conservation of tigers and their natural habitats is crucial for maintaining the health and diversity of an ecosystem.
“The increasing numbers of the big cats should encourage us to pursue conservation and habitat restoration with the same unwavering commitment. Let us pledge to save the habitat of this beautiful, and majestic animal to protect our ecology,” he said.
Assam in particular and the country as a whole has been able to reach the goal of doubling its tiger population four years ahead of schedule of the St. Petersburg Declaration on Tiger Conservation, he added.
The conservation of tigers has been particularly successful in Manas where its population has increased from zero to 48 in the last 20 years while in Kaziranga it has increased to 121 from 90 in 2015.
The Global Tiger Day was observed underscoring the need for conservation of the animal to maintain a healthy ecosystem. The International Tiger Day or Global Tiger Day is observed on this day every year to raise awareness about the loss of the tiger population globally and the need for conservation.
The theme for this year was “Save Forest, Save Wildlife: Their survival is in our hands”.
In Andhra Pradesh, the Nagarjuna Sagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR), spread over 3,727 sq km in the Nallamala Forest Range, is the main habitat for the wild cats in the state.
The number of tigers increased by two to 21 in the NSTR Block-1, by four to 21 in Block-2 and by seven to 18 in Block-3.
In what is called the Corridor, which is the connecting area between Nallamala Hills (Kurnool, Prakasam and Guntur districts) and Seshachalam Hills (Kadapa and Chittoor districts), three new tigers have been spotted in the Phase-IV Tiger Monitoring.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests N Prateep Kumar said on the occasion of Global Tiger Day that, “Most of these areas are having hilly terrain with plateaus, ridges, gorges and deep valleys that support tropical mixed dry deciduous and moist deciduous forests, with an under growth of bamboo and a variety of grass species.”
“We are constructing check dams, percolation tanks and saucer pits inside the forest areas and also the fringes to ensure drinking water to the big cats,” the PCCF said, elaborating on the conservation measures.”
Prateep Kumar said 63 anti-poaching camps were located in the NSTR to prevent smuggling and poaching. The local Chenchu tribals were acting as the anti- poaching watchers under the leadership of a Forest Beat Officer.
“They are assisting us in wildlife protection and monitoring,” he added.