Number of tigers on the rise in Karnataka: Forest Minister Eshwara Khandre

BENGALURU: The Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwara B Khandre said that as a result of various initiatives taken in the state for the conservation of tigers, the number of tigers has increased significantly and it has been analyzed that the number of tigers in the state is high.

On Thursday, Minister Eshwara Khandre has released the details of the National Animal Tiger Census 2 days before the International Tiger Day, according to the guidelines of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), a tiger census is conducted once every four years. As part of this, a census of elephants, carnivores and herbivores will also be conducted across the country, he said.

Karnataka, which has a large part of the Western Ghats, is at the forefront of tiger conservation and during 2021-22, tiger census has been scientifically and adequately conducted in 37 sections out of 37 wildlife sanctuaries including Nagarhole, Bandipur, Bhadra, Biligiri Ranganatha Swamy Temple and Kali Kanana in 5 tiger reserves of the state.

He explained that the camera trap and line transect method was used for this census. In 5399 camera traps installed in all the protected forests of the state, more than 66 lakh photographs of wild animals have been codified, and the number of tigers has been calculated based on the tigers' movements and territorial boundaries using modern technology.

According to the All India Tiger Census conducted in 2018, 404 tigers were found in the camera trap conducted in Karnataka, which was analyzed according to the wildlife statistics, and it was analyzed that there may be 475 to 573 tigers in the state. He said that in 2022, 435 tigers have been found in the state and it can be analyzed that this number may increase even more.

Around 612 camera points were installed in Bandipur Tiger Reserve, 330 in Bhadra, 288 in BRT, 448 in Kali and 502 in Nagarhole. He explained that 376 ananya (unique) tigers have been found in this.

Apart from this, 80 in Bannerghatta National Park, 119 in Belgaum Division, 121 in Bhadravati Division, 473 in Kaveri Wildlife Sanctuary, 41 in Chikkamagaluru Wildlife Forest, 106 in Haliyal, 135 in Karwar Division, 50 in Koppa Wildlife Sanctuary, 173 in Kuduremukha Division, Madikeri (Brahmagiri, Pushpagiri and 175 in Talakaveri) Division, 432 in Male Mahadeshwar Hill, 36 in Mysore Division, 182 in Shimoga Wildlife Sanctuary, 107 in Shirsi Division, 111 in Virajpet Division, 94 in Yellapur Division, a total of 4786 camera points were installed in the state, in all these cameras 1,61,053 attempts were made to film the traffic at night, Minister Khandre said.

The prime minister of the country, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, is the reason why the forests are still safe in our country. Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi were true environmentalists. They not only enacted the Forest Protection Act, Wildlife Protection Act, Forest Rights Act but also implemented it. Otherwise, the forest would not have existed by now. The forest dwellers did not get their rights. He said that even the wild animals would not have survived.

The first tiger census in the world was conducted in India. A pilot census was conducted in Jharkhand's Palamau Tiger Reserve. He explained that the tiger census was started from 1972 after the implementation of the Wildlife Act in 1972 and once in every 4 years the census was conducted.