The biannual monitoring exercise to ascertain the headcount of predators, the prey base and the quality of the habitat began on Wednesday at Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, one of four reserves in Tamil Nadu.
The last census pegged its tiger population around 75.
The reserve is located on the Western Ghats, where the recent census found a sizeable increase in tiger population.
Srinivas R. Reddy, Field Director of the Reserve, told The Hindu that Anti-Poaching Watchers had been equipped with GPS to deploy camera traps at the appropriate location. As many as 20 APW camps have been set up to cover the areas identified as ‘vulnerable’. The APWs are recruited exclusively from local tribal communities who have knowledge of the terrain.
Phase IV Reserve
The MTR qualifies as a ‘Phase IV’ reserve, which empowers it to conduct this exercise completely in-house, without having to make use of external research agencies. “Our staff members have been trained in handling of sophisticated equipment,” he added. As many as 120 staff members and volunteers have been pressed into service for this week’s exercise. During this operation, the population of carnivores like tigers and leopards would be ascertained through indirect methodology or signs methods. The headcount of the prey such as the Indian Bison, deers and boars would be assessed through direct sighting. Health or size of the prey base i.e., herbivores for carnivores depend on the vegetation, he said.
A senior MTR official said the survey was being conducted as per the guidelines of National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). It is done annually ahead of the monsoon (May) and after the monsoon (November).
The staff and volunteers were given a training programme on the use of equipment, census methodology and data collection. The data collected in the survey would be processed on May 27.
B. Ramakrishnan, Assistant Professor, Department of Zoology and Wildlife Biology, Government Arts College, is leading a team of 30 students from the Department of Zoology and Wildlife Biology, Government Arts College with ten volunteers from the Nilgiri Environment and Wildlife Association.
