E-Paper
Census begins at Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary to pave way for 2nd tiger reserve of Bihar
For the first time, all the animals (herbivores and carnivores) will be counted in the 90 days exercise under standard protocol of the Central government’s All India Tiger Estimation Program, with active participation of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and Wildlife Institute of India (WII) experts
The forest department of Bihar has started an intensive wildlife census in Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary, largest in Bihar, spread over 1,539 square kilometres in the plateaued Kaimur Range adjoining Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh forests. The census began on Sunday.
For the first time, all the animals (herbivores and carnivores) in the sanctuary, will be counted in the 90 days exercise under standard protocol of the Central government’s All India Tiger Estimation Program, with active participation of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and Wildlife Institute of India (WII) experts, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Kaimur, Sanjeev Ranjan said.
Specially trained forest officials will count the animals using modern scientific techniques. A state government proposal for approval to declare the sanctuary as the Second Tiger Reserve of Bihar was sent to the Centre in November last. Bihar urgently needs a second tiger reserve as the one in Valmiki Tiger Reserve, spread over 900 square kilometers, is over-saturated.
The significant census, aiming to assess animal population and determine prey availability, is crucial for reintroducing tigers in Kaimur forests after their absence for decades.
Over 50 officials were participating in the census in the sanctuary spread over Kaimur and Rohtas districts and rich in biodiversity with a good number of leopards, bears, different kinds of deer, apes, monkeys and birds.
Three scientific methods -- Sign Survey, Transact Walk and Camera Trapping -- are used in three stages. The first is focussed on pugmarks, animal faeces, urine and other visible signs.
In the second phase, the workers will walk continuously for 15 kilometers in one direction in a beat to count the animals and mark their habitats. In third, cameras will be installed on both sides of the entire forest divided into grids of two square kilometers and the movements of the animals will be recorded and pictures will be taken for 28 days, the DFO said.
The NTCA and WII experts will scientifically examine the collected data and will accurately count the animals present in the wildlife sanctuary. There will be no scope for any kind of error in this count.
Favourable living conditions in the VTR forests have led to a rapid increase in the tiger population. Their numbers were recorded at 8 in 2010, 28 in 2014, 31 in 2018 and 54 in the 2022 wildlife census, despite the fact that the reserve has the capacity to reside only 45 tigers. A new census is underway, with officials expecting the count to rise further, potentially reaching 70 tigers.
The VTR is now considered over-saturated, prompting to develop Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary as the Second Tiger Reserve of Bihar, to accommodate the growing tiger population and expending Bihar’s tiger landscape, connecting to existing tiger landscapes in bordering states like Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, Kumar added.
