NILGIRIS: The tiger population in the Nilgiris Forest Division has nearly doubled over the past seven years, increasing from 34 in 2018 to more than 63 in 2024, sources in the forest department said.
Officials said the actual number could be higher, as several tiger cubs born in the past year have been captured in camera trap images but are yet to be fully accounted for in the estimation.
Officials described the rise as a positive sign, indicating a healthy habitat and strong prey base, despite the Nilgiris being a forest division and not a notified tiger reserve.
Forest authorities attribute the significant growth to intensified protection measures, systematic foot patrols and strict enforcement against poaching - particularly of herbivores that form the primary prey base for the big cats.
According to official data, 42.9% of the estimated numbers comprises existing tigers while 52.1% are new individuals. The male and female population is almost equal at about 36.5% each, while the remaining 27% are cubs whose sex has not yet been confirmed.
Sustained field efforts have played a crucial role in the increase. The division has 63 forest beats, and around 120 frontline staff patrol nearly 50,000 hectares of forest area. Foot patrols are monitored using the M-STrIPES application, enabling real-time tracking of field movements and strengthening on-ground protection.
"Regular foot patrols help ensure protection to herbivores such as sambar deer and gaur, thereby maintaining a strong prey base for tigers. We monitor wildlife through camera traps and identify individual tigers by their unique stripe patterns," a senior forest official said.
The division also benefits from its proximity to major tiger habitats such as the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve and the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve. With 114 tigers in Mudumalai and 85 in Sathyamangalam, adjoining forest ranges like Naduvattam and Kotagiri provide crucial connectivity and safe dispersal corridors for big cats.
Despite an 85% rise in tiger numbers since 2018, the Nilgiris Forest Division has fortunately reported no major human-tiger conflicts, emerging as a model for coexistence in the State. Residents near the compound of the abandoned Hindustan Photo Films at Indu Nagar and in Parson Valley have reported the presence of the big cat in the vicinity.
N Sadiq Ali, the founder of the Wildlife and Nature Conservation Trust (WNCT), said that people in the Nilgiris - including residents of Toda tribal hamlets like Glenmorgan and non-tribal settlements in Parson Valley, Thalaikundha and Kalhatti - have set an example by following basic precautions such as avoiding open garbage dumping and unnecessary night movement.
However, sources pointed out that the increase in tiger numbers has allegedly reduced space for leopards within the division. As a result, residents in Ooty, Coonoor and Kotagiri have been frequently witnessing leopard movement near residential areas.
Officials noted that the leopard population in the region has also nearly doubled, posing fresh management challenges for the forest department.