National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) in 2014 had claimed that there are only 28 tigers in the state.
Odisha government on Wednesday rejected the estimation of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) on tiger population in the state and claimed that there are at least 40 big cats, including three melanistic types, in Similipal Tiger Reserve.
"The 40 tigers include 13 males, 24 females and three cubs. Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR), is considered as the only habitat in the world to have dark-striped melanistic tigers," said Forest and Environment Department Secretary Suresh Chandra Mohapatra.
The state government's estimation report, which was released on Wednesday, also found 318 leopards in Odisha, he said. The report said Similipal region housed 29 Royal Bengal Tigers with 26 of those in Similipal Wildlife Division and three others in Karanjia Division. Of the 26 Royal Bengal Tigers in Similipal, 14 are females, nine males and three cubs, the report said.
There are four big cats in Sunabeda Wildlife Division, two in Satkosia Tiger Reserve, three in Keonjhar Wildlife Division (Hadgarh) and one each in Khariar and Sundargarh divisions, the report stated.
Earlier, the state government had rejected the NTCA's claim of only 28 tigers in the state in 2014. The statewide tiger/leopard estimation exercise, 2016 was carried out in eight circles and 46 divisions between February 5-10, officials said.
A total of 20,174 PIPs (Pug Impression Pads) were laid and 448 trap cameras including 315 cameras in Similipal, were installed to reaffirm the estimated tiger population in the Similipal Tiger Reserve, they said.
Although, the exercise was carried out in STR in February, a dispute over the numbers prompted the Wildlife Wing to take up the exercise once again in April during which 420 camera traps were used apart from 11,370 PIPs, officials said.
A five-member technical committee headed by Anup Kumar Nayak, the then Regional Chief Conservator of Forest cum Field Director Satkosia Tiger Reserve, analysed and scrutinised the data obtained during field survey. In 2010, NTCA had put the number of Royal Bengal Tigers in Odisha at 32 and 45 in 2006.
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 "Tigers Royal Bengal tigers Similipal Tiger Reserve Odisha government National Tiger Conservation Authority")
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