A total of 12 tigers were spotted over eight days by volunteers involved in the bi-annual animal census at the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. The census came to an end on Monday and this was the highest count of direct tiger sightings in recent years, forest department officials said.
The direct sightings indicate a healthy, breeding population of the big cats, as at least four of the tigers spotted by volunteers from the TNAU – Forestry College and Research Institute, were described as “sub-adults.” The volunteers also collected data of indirect sightings, such as scat, rakings and other signs indicating the presence of large carnivores.
Srinivas R Reddy, Field Director of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, handed out the certificates to the 36 volunteers on Monday. Apart from the tigers, the volunteers also spotted sloth bears, leopards and even a pack of wild dogs. They had encounters with large herbivores such as elephants, gaur and deer. The Forest Department will now set camera traps across the reserve to collect documentary evidence of the number of tigers.
