Three-fold rise in Manas tiger population creates a national record

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• Jul 19, 2021 | moderator

A three-fold rise in the number of adult tigers in the Manas National Park in a decade sets a National record in tiger conservation in the country. The National Park once faced the trouble of insurgency, and now it can boast of having 38 adult tigers. The park had only ten adult tigers in the year 2010. 

The 12th annual camera trapping survey revealed 48 tigers, where 38 are adults, three sub-adults and seven cubs in Manas. Among the adult tigers, 21 are female tigers, 16 are males, and 1 is unidentified sex. For the first time, the extensive camera trap survey was carried out in Manas Tiger Reserve covering Manas National Park, First Addition to Manas National Park and Barnadi Wildlife Sanctuary-together covering a total area of 876 sq. km approximately.

Amal Chandra Sarmah, field director, Manas Tiger Project, said, "Manas is among the few remote Protected Areas in the world that have successfully recorded and achieved the global endeavour of doubling the tiger numbers by 2020. There has been a three-fold increase in tiger population in the Manas National Park". 

In 2020 Pilibhit tiger reserve in Uttar Pradesh had won an international award, TX2, for more than doubling the number of tigers in four years from 25 in 2014 to 65 in 2018. The recent camera trapping survey has also found 37 leopards in Manas, including 31 adults and six sub-adults. Five other wild cats, leopard cat, clouded leopard, marbled cat, golden cat and jungle cat, were also found in the park and adjoining areas.

The 12th annual camera trapping survey has also recorded four species of endangered, nine species of vulnerable, four species of near threatened and 11 species of least concern mammals as per the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) status. Among them are Asian elephant, hog deer, hispid hare, wild buffalo, rhino, sambar deer, swamp deer, spotted deer, barking deer, Himalayan black bear, Himalayan serow, Goral, black panther and binturong

Input: The sentinel