Odisha government’s own estimation revealed there are 30 tigers in the state, 27 of which have been camera-trapped. There are twenty-seven tigers at the Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR). According to the most recent report, it also has 13 melancholic tigers.
There are eight tiger cubs in STR, according to the All Odisha Tiger Estimation (AOTE) 2023–24 study, which was made public on Monday.
The number produced by the Wildlife Wing of Forest and Environment department is several notches higher than the All India Tiger Estimate (AITE) 2022 which had pegged the figure at 20 last year. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is in charge of the AITE.
According to the report, “Tiger abundance has increased in Odisha from the previous estimate of AITE 2022 released by the NTAC. STR, which currently harbours 27 unique adult individuals, has witnessed an increase from 16 tigers captured through camera traps in 2021-2022″.
Thirteen males and fourteen females make up the 27 adult big cats that were camera-trapped for the exercise. There were 24 of them listed in STR, with one each for Keonjhar (territorial and wildlife combined), Paralakhemundi territorial, and Hirakud wildlife divisions.
Similipal has the greatest proportion of the state’s tigers, with 24 adult tigers. Every adult female tiger in the state resides in the TR as well. In a similar vein, STR has photos of all seven of the cubs that are younger than a year old.
The report said that, although not having been camera caught, evidence of three more adult tigers had also been discovered in Similipal. The 13 melanistic tigers that live in Similipal are the only ones in the state and the entire globe.
In addition to Similipal, one adult male tiger each is held by the Hirakud and Paralakhemundi divisions.
“The growth has resulted from strict management actions and scientific conservation practices. The images of eight unique tiger cubs during AOTE indicate a recovering population in Similipal landscape,” the report stated.
Notably, similar to the All India estimate, there were no big cats in the Satkosia tiger reserve according to the state enumeration.
The presence of three adult male tigers camera-trapped in Hirakud, Paralakhemundi and Keonjhar looks promising and provides hope for a better future for the big cats in these habitats, the report said.
