ANGUL/BARIPADA:AS tiger enumeration across the country kicked off on Friday, Satkosia and Similipal, the two notified tiger reserves of the State, got down to the job armed with increased manpower and technology as mandated by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
The first phase of the enumeration includes carnivore sign survey for three days, starting Friday. Apart from Satkosia and Similipal, the enumeration is being conducted across all forest divisions.In Satkosia Tiger Reserve, a total 212 forest personnel have been engaged for the enumeration.
According to Field Director Sudarshan Panda, also Regional Chief Conservator of Forests of Angul Circle, the carnivore survey is being conducted across 45 ranges of the circle including nine in Satkosia. The three days of collection of evidences will be followed by prey base and vegetation survey.The NTCA has introduced Monitoring System for Tiger-Intensive Protection and Ecological Status (M-STRiPES) for the first time to make the census error-free.
“Evidence collection will be recorded through GPS and M-STRiPES this time. The evidences will also be photographed before being finally sent to Wildlife Institute of India,” Panda said.In Similipal, as many as 193 forest personnel have been engaged while 380 high resolution cameras have been installed in areas where more tiger movement has been sighted, Deputy Director Jagyandatta Pati said.
The STR spreads over 2,750 sq km which include Baripada, Karanjia and Rairangpur forest divisions besides 272 sq km of Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary in Balasore district. “For the enumeration, the staff have been trained. This apart, M-STRiPE mobile app and pug mark tracking will be adopted to find out accuracy of tiger count,” Pati said.
To strengthen the evidence, tiger scat will also be collected for genetic analysis, he said adding, all field staff who have been engaged are also using smart phones with M-STRiPE app.The M-STRiPES app developed by Wildlife Institute of India is expected to eliminate error which is caused by camera trapping, Pati said. No NGO has been engaged in this activity.
In the 2014 estimation, at least 20 Royal Bengal Tigers and more than 200 leopards were estimated in Similipal where as Satkosia had two big cats. During the census work, tourists movement inside the park will continue.The census is carried out by NTCA in association with Wildlife Institute of India once in every four years.