Udhagamandalam: Towards the estimate of the All India Tiger 2021-22, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) – South -zona launched a three-day training program for forest officials and biologists from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Goa at the Forest Training Center Teppakadu at Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) in Nilgiris on Friday.
According to L C S Srikanth, Deputy Director, MTR buffer zone, 89 forest officials in the rank of deputy director and forest range officers, together with biologists, attended the training program.
“This is to prepare forest officials for all Indian tiger census, which has been due this year.” All Indian tiger censuses are carried out once every four years by NTCA with technical assistance from the Wildlife Institute of India and the State Forest Department.
The census was carried out using a camera trap and the capture-mark-recapture method introduced in the 2006 census, which was the first tiger calculation survey in India.
There are 2,967 tigers in this country, according to the last national tiger census held in 2018.
With Srivilliputhur-Magamalai tiger reserves recently told, Tamil Nadu accommodates five reserves of Tiger, which is home to 235 tigers.
The remaining four are Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, reservation of Anamalai Tiger and Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve.
The population of large cats has increased in the state in the past 10 years.