Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh mark impressive increase in tiger population in the states

NewsBharati    30-Jul-2018
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Chennai, July 30: In Tamil Nadu, the tiger population in the reputed Mudumalai Tiger reserve has doubled to 60 from 30, due to intensive conservation efforts. Awareness programmes regarding the importance of preserving the tiger population in the country were held in various schools throughout this week, in view of International Tiger Day on Sunday.


 

Forest officials and nature enthusiasts, in and around the Annamalai, Mudumalai, and Sathyamangalam tiger reserves in the state are also engaged in a door to door awareness programme for tiger conservation.

Also, the state of Madhya Pradesh is on the verge to beat Karnataka due to its increasing number of big cats. Madhya Pradesh is trying to regain its ‘Tiger State’ status. The MP forest department officials are optimistic about the state claiming the tiger status after four years, beating Karnataka. Their optimism stems from a State Forest Research Institute (SFRI) report published by the state government two days ahead of International Tiger Day that says the number of beats where tigers have been spotted has increased from 717 in 2014 to 1,432 this year in the geographical mapping done in the first phase of the tiger census in the state. Transit lines and trap cameras used in the census have captured photographs of 355 tigers in the last one year of the census.

Madhya Pradesh lost the ‘Tiger State’ status to Karnataka in 2011 and faced criticism for topping the country in tiger deaths — 47 in four years, including 13 in 2018. The geographical mapping of tigers, which is conducted every four years, showed Karnataka having 406 tigers against MP’s 308. Uttarakhand with 361 tigers stood at number two. Madhya Pradesh was declared a ‘Tiger State’ in 1995, when it harboured nearly 20% of India’s tiger population and nearly 10% of the world.