2 min read
Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
Journalism of Courage
Premium
This is an archive article published on June 24, 2016
Count up from 14 to 21 in 3 years: Manas National Park has 7 more tigers
Of the 21 tigers confirmed through the camera-trapping exercise, 14 were on the Indian side, 11 in Bhutan and four appearing common on both sides of the border.
The Manas National Park in Assam, which once had 80 tigers, was declared a world heritage site by Unesco in 1985. (Source: File photo)
Amid reports of increase in the tiger population in the country, there is more good news. The number of tigers in Manas National Park and the contiguous Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan has gone up from 14 to at least 21 in three years. While this figure has been ascertained through the camera-trapping method applied in a limited area, the overall estimated number of tigers is 44.
“The study has confirmed the minimum presence of 21 tigers in the study area, which stood at 14 during the last exercise in 2011-12. Of the 21 tigers confirmed through the camera-trapping exercise, 14 were on the Indian side, 11 in Bhutan and four appearing common on both sides of the border. The maximum number of tigers present in both the national parks was estimated to be 44,” said an official who was part of the 72-day exercise.
[related-post]
Watch Video: What’s making news
The study, which was jointly conducted by India and Bhutan over an area of 560 sq km known as the trans-boundary Manas conservation area (TraMCA), also showed higher abundance of prey species such as gaur, barking deer, sambar and wild pig.
“The presence of a healthy core breeding tiger population, as indicated by the study, shows that the TraMCA could well serve as a source population for tigers for Bhutan and parts of northeast India, and should be considered one of the highest priority tiger landscape regions for conservation of wild tiger population and their spaces,” the report said.
The Manas National Park in Assam, which once had 80 tigers, was declared a world heritage site by Unesco in 1985. But within seven years it was placed in the “danger” list following massive destruction caused by ethnic unrest in the region. It was only in 2011 that Unesco withdrew it from the “danger” list.
Advertisement
Loading Taboola...
Live Blog
Top Stories
Advertisement