The proposal for according tiger reserve status for the Sathyamangalam Reserve Forests is under consideration, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden R. Sundararaju said here on Wednesday.
Mr. Sundararaju told presspersons that studies conducted using camera traps and scats had given an indication that there could be 19 to 25 tigers in Sathyamangalam forests. He also added that the forests across Tamil Nadu might have 100 to 110 tigers. This statistics was based on the camera traps, scat examination done in tiger reserves such as Mudumalai, Anamalai and Kalakkad - Mundanthurai.
Tamil Nadu had three tiger reserves and they shared borders with Kerala and Karnataka forests. To a query on incidents of sandalwood smuggling reported in ATR areas, Mr. Sundararaju said vigil had been stepped up with additional manpower and one person arrested for smuggling had been detained under Goondas Act.
Efforts were on to check man-animal conflict, especially elephants straying into human habitations in Valparai, where four persons were killed recently.
