Thanks to concerted efforts by the Tiger Conservation Foundation (TCF), the number of tigers in the Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR) in Andhra Pradesh has gone up, reversing the steady decline in the number of the endangered species over a period.
Enthused by the findings of the fourth cycle of the All India Tiger Estimation (AITE), which showed an increase of six in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the TCF has drawn up an action plan to double its efforts to facilitate proliferation of the big cats in the largest tiger reserve in the country.
In 2006, 95 tigers were found in unified Andhra Pradesh. The number declined to 72 in 2010 and 68 in 2014.
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The maiden AITE survey conducted in Andhra Pradesh after bifurcation using camera traps, unlike the conventional method of recording pug marks, showed that the State had 48 tigers, Telangana 26, registering an increase of six, sources in the Project Tiger said.
The figure excluded 10 cubs, which indicated that the situation was congenial for further proliferation not only in the NSTR but also outside of it, which included Kadapa district.
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“We have set up more camera traps within the NSTR and outside to further validate the findings of the fourth AITE,” TCF sources said.
Vehicle fees
The TCF has decided to hike the Environment Maintenance Charge (EMC) and use the funds for anti-poaching activities, which included development of an intelligence network and reforestation of the degraded patches in the Nallamala forests.
Accordingly, ₹50 each would be collected from the owners of each light vehicle as against ₹20 earlier, and ₹100 as against ₹50 from each heavy vehicle passing through the check-posts.
“We do not anticipate any water problem next summer as all the percolation tanks are full. The green cover too has improved,” M. Prasad Reddy, Deputy Forest Range Officer at Dornala said.