Tiger estimation to begin in Bandipur, Nagarahole

MYSURU: The authorities of

Bandipur

and

Nagarahole Tiger Reserves

will assess the tigers’ status in the region from Monday as part of the All India Tiger Estimation conducted once in four years.

On Sunday, the authorities gave a final training session to staff and eco-volunteers for the six-day census.

Meanwhile, from January 22 to 27, census will be conducted in the territorial forest divisions.

As part of the census, the staff will conduct ground surveys for determining occupancy of habitat patches by tigers and other predators, line transects to estimate prey abundance, sampling on the line transects to assess habitat characteristics, human impacts and prey dung density.

Teams of four, including forest staff and eco volunteers, were formed for eight ranges coming under Nagarahole and thirteen under Bandipur Reserve. The teams will record the information in their ranges. The authorities have prohibited the staff and volunteers from carrying mobile phones and cameras during the census.

Around 30 volunteers, who were selected and trained by

Karnataka Eco Tourism Development Board

and forest department in association with Jungle Lodges and Resorts (JLR), have been given ID cards to participate in the census.

ACF Prasanna Kumar said the volunteers have been deployed along with the forest staff in all the eight ranges of Nagarahole.

Nagarahole Tiger Reserve director S Manikandan told TOI that training has been provided to forest staff to conduct census.