RANCHI: Tiger pugmarks found on the very first day of the tiger census have lent significant weight to forest officials’ claims about the presence of big cats in the Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR).
The census began across Jharkhand on December 15. According to officials, it is being carried out across 31 territorial forest divisions and five protected wildlife divisions in the state, including major conservation areas such as the Palamu Tiger Reserve and the Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary.
The exercise is part of a nationwide wildlife enumeration programme conducted once every four years to generate accurate and scientifically validated data on animal populations.
PTR Deputy Director Prajesh Kant Jena confirmed the finding of tiger pugmarks in the reserve. “Tiger pugmarks and their scat have been found at several places in the PTR on the very first day of the tiger census which started on Monday,” Jena said. With this, the active presence of tigers in the area has been confirmed, he added.
According to Jena, the pugmarks and other signs collected till December 22 will undergo scientific verification and documentation. The process will cover all ranges and beat areas in a phased manner and will also include camera trapping and data analysis.
“Besides tiger pugmarks, significant evidence of the presence of leopards and wolves has also been found,” the Deputy Director said.
The primary objective of the programme is to collect scientific and reliable data on the presence, activities and habitat of tigers, as well as other major carnivores and large herbivores.
All activities will be conducted smoothly and in a timely manner, in accordance with the All-India Tiger Estimation (AITI) 2026 guidelines.
Jena also said that 110 forest guards, 300 trackers and 25 volunteers are participating in the exercise. All teams have been deployed across various ranges and beats of the Palamu Tiger Reserve, where they are carrying out track searches, sign surveys and primary data recording.
Notably, this is the first time in Jharkhand that volunteers from different universities studying botany and zoology have been deployed for the tiger census.
According to forest officials, apart from creating a young workforce, the initiative will help raise awareness about comprehensive tiger estimation and conservation.
This is also the first time in the state that tiger censuses are being conducted outside the Palamu Tiger Reserve, in forest ranges such as Ranchi, Dumka and Hazaribagh.
Officials confirmed that the exercise combines traditional field-based methods with modern technology, including camera traps and a specially designed ecological mobile application for real-time data collection across the state’s forested landscapes.
According to the 2006 census, Jharkhand had 10 tigers, a number that fell to three in 2014. The latest report places the total number of big cats in the state at six.
Beginning with 22 tigers in 1972, the Palamu Tiger Reserve saw its peak in 1995, when it had 71 big cats. The decline that followed left only three tigers in 2014. In the 2018 tiger census, the number of tigers in the Palamu Tiger Reserve was reported as zero.