BHUBANESWAR: As India rejoiced in the success of ‘Project Tiger’, Odisha cut a sorry figure, its big cat numbers plunging to a record low of 20.Except for Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR), where their population has doubled, in the rest of the habitats, including Satkosia, the big cats have vanished. From eight in 2018, the tiger population in STR has jumped to around 16 in the last four years, said the Status of Tigers in India 2022 report, released by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) on Global Tiger Day on Friday.
As per the report, Madhya Pradesh has the highest tiger count of 785 followed by Karnataka at 563, Uttarakhand at 560, and Maharashtra at 444. Odisha, however, is among the eight-odd states that have reported a disquieting trend. From 28 in 2018, the state’s tiger population has dwindled to around 20, almost a 30 per cent drop in the last four years. Unwilling to accept the outcome of the tiger estimate, the state government has, meanwhile, announced to conduct its own tiger count exercise later this year.
PCCF Wildlife and chief wildlife warden SK Popli said: “As ordered by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik during the last review of departmental works in May 2023, we will carry out the estimation ourselves in the state from October to provide an updated status of the tiger population.
He praised the field staff and officials of Similipal for the growth in the big cat numbers but said the estimation of the Status of Tiger 2022 report is based on the field exercise conducted in 2021-22.
The tiger estimation report has also pointed to the grim fact that the conservation strategy of the state has not worked. The big cat population which was around 45 in the state in 2006 declined to 32 in 2010 and 28 in 2014. The figure remained stagnant in 2018 before declining again.
“Long-term strategy is a must if the government wants to revive the state’s tiger population,” said former NTCA member secretary Anup Kumar Nayak. The Tiger population has failed to take off in many landscapes of the state including Satkosia, Sundargarh, Sunabeda and Nuapada due to a lack of an adequate prey base.
“Planning and strategy need to be devised at the highest level to ensure the land use pattern is tiger centric. Besides, the strategy needs to be re-looked to enrich tiger habitats with better connectivity, adequate prey base and inviolate space”, said the retired IFS officer.
Any delay in improving conservation measures will bring down the tiger population in the state further, he cautioned. Forest officials, however, maintained silence over the declining number of tigers outside Similpal landscape.