ADILABAD: Forest officials are gearing up to conduct the wildlife census at the Kawal Tiger Reserve from January 19 to 26 in the erstwhile Adilabad district, as part of the All India Tiger Enumeration.
The previous census in 2021 recorded around eight tigers, including cubs, in the Kagaznagar forest division, while two to three tigers were identified as migrants from Maharashtra’s Tadoba and Tippeshwar tiger reserves. Officials expect higher numbers this time following the recovery of large tracts of encroached forest land, especially in Kagaznagar, a key tiger landscape.
The census, postponed by a month due to staff shortages and the induction of volunteers, will be conducted in phases. Carnivores will be surveyed during the first three days, followed by herbivores over the next three days. Scientific methods such as pugmark tracking, collection of scat and hair samples and camera traps will be used.
Officials said herbivore populations have shown an upward trend due to improved grasslands, while tiger movement from Maharashtra reserves has increased. The Karjalli range in Kagaznagar division, an entry point for tigers from Tadoba, has seen the recovery of hundreds of acres of encroached forest land.
Recent tiger movement has also been recorded in the Jannaram forest division core area, with one tiger traced to Tippeshwar reserve, nearly 200 km away. Mancherial and Chennur forest divisions have reported two to three tiger movements in forest and open-cast Singareni areas.
For the first time, volunteers have been invited to assist forest staff by walking three to five km daily during the census.
Field Director of Kawal Tiger Reserve S Shantharam told TNIE that preparations were complete and expressed optimism about better numbers due to habitat restoration and protection measures.