Tiger census results by year-end

With the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) starting a new process to estimate the number of tigers in the wild, the next round of the big cat results are expected to be announced by this year end.

With the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) starting a new process to estimate the number of tigers in the wild, the next round of the big cat results are expected to be announced by this year end.

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The NTCA has asked forest departments to implement the protocol for counting tigers in core and buffer areas of 39 reserves. As per last census in 2011, India had 1,706 tigers.

To ensure that the new estimate is close to the actual number, the NTCA has asked the forest departments to have GPS camera traps. The camera traps are installed to take pictures of tigers. The pictures are then compared to estimate the population in the area on basis of the stripes, which are unique to each tiger.

Local forest officials will work in coordination with scientists from the Wildlife Institute of India, and monitor the camera traps daily.