Special focus will be laid on the North Eastern States in the ongoing third tiger census in the country.
lack of infrastructure and logistical support have so far hampered efficient tiger count in the North Eastern States while tough terrain and extreme weather conditions make the task more difficult for the scientists involved in the tiger census which is expected to conclude by February 2014. However, this time the wildlife scientists hope to cover more areas with tigers and have a more reliable tiger population estimate using the genetics-based tiger count system especially in places where terrain and weather make it tougher to get the desired results using camera traps.
According to tiger biologist and senior scientist at Wildlife Institute of India (WII) Qamar Qureshi, who has been involved in the institute led tiger census from the beginning, apart from camera traps, genetics-based tiger count will also be used in the North East. Though it is costly, the genetics system will prove useful in areas like the North Eastern States where topography and other factors make logistics tougher. This will also help cover a greater area, he added.
The genetics-based tiger census exercise involves collecting tiger scat and conducting a DNA test on it as scat provides a unique DNA signature that helps to accurately identify individual tigers. The 2008 tiger census by WII had estimated 70 tigers in the North East. Proximity to the international borders with nations like Myanmar- a hub of wildlife trafficking- is one of the factors which poses a threat to the tiger population in the north eastern states of India.
It is worth mentioning here that there are three tiger reserves in Assam, two in Arunachal Pradesh and one in Mizoram. According to the tiger census figures released by the National Tiger Conservation Authority in 2011, there are about 1,700 tigers in India.