'The scat analysis by the Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology has confirmed the presence of six tigers only in the tiger reserve,' said field director of Palamau Tiger Reserve P Upadhaya.
Much to the disappointment of conservationists, the number of big cats in the Maoist-infested Palamau Tiger Reserve in Jharkhand has declined from 17 to six, as confirmed by research carried out through scat analysis.
"The scat analysis by the Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology has confirmed the presence of six tigers only in the tiger reserve," field director of Palamau Tiger Reserve P Upadhaya told PTI.
Scat analysis is an examination of the faeces of animals done in order to determine their biological and genetic details.
The census in 2007 had confirmed the presence of 17 tigers in the reserve, spread over an area of 1,026 sq km in Jharkhand's Palamau district, which was described by the National Tiger Conservation Authority as a low-density tiger reserve.
Upadhaya, however, admitted that the actual number of the big cats might be more since the analysis had not been done on the basis of exhaustive samples.
He said that they had sent about 15 to 20 scat samples apart from general observation data from areas in different ranges in the reserve to the Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India.
The field director said that the presence of Maoists in the area posed problems for free movement of forest personnel due to which proper monitoring could not be carried out in the interiors of the reserve.
"90% of our field staff consists of local people who somehow manage to visit the interior ranges. However, our field staff is scared to visit the areas where there are maximum concentrations of the extremists," Upadhaya said.
The Palamau tiger reserve has seven ranges - Betla, Garu east and west, Chhipadohar east and west, Baresnar and Kutku -while Mahuadar is outside its area.
Denying any incidents of poaching in the reserve, Upadhaya said, "Sometimes deer stray into adjoining villages and villagers kill them. But there is no report of poaching of tigers or other animals."
When asked the reason behind the sharp decline in tiger population in the reserve as once it had more than 49 tigers, the field director said that the pugmark count followed earlier was not foolproof and was discontinued some years ago.
"Now it is done on the basis of a new methodology," he said.
He admitted that sighting of big cats in the reserve has become rare these days.
"Some tourists, however, did see tigers in Betla in the past two-three months," he said.
Elephant herds and bisons can also be seen in the reserve, he added.
Asked about a shortage of prey base in the reserve, he said it could not be determined for sure if there was such shortage, but the distribution of prey base in the area was uneven.
In some areas of ranges like Garu, Baresnar and Betla which are closer to villages, there was some shortage in the prey base because of human interference, he said.
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