Hyderabad Tiger Conservation Society, an NGO partnering with the Telangana Forest Department in tiger census, has invited volunteers to participate in counting the big cats in the wild. The Society along with the department, will launch ‘Citizen Volunteers’ programme starting on January 21 for this purpose, a press statement from the Society said. Conducted once in four years, the ‘All India Tiger Estimation’ is the national exercise by the National Tiger Conservation Authority and Wildlife Institute of India.
This survey will help estimate and protect the “umbrella species” that tiger is, its prey base of herbivores and their forest habitats, the note said.
During Level I between January 22 and 29, the volunteers will help survey tigers, other carnivores, herbivores and condition of forests through ‘sign surveys’ and ‘line transect surveys’ in the forests of Telangana. The Level II between February 1 and May 30 will entail a minimum two weeks of work whereby tigers will be counted using camera traps and by taking stock of tiger prey species through ‘Line Transect Surveys’ in tiger reserves. Applications by interested volunteers may be submitted online at ‘https://goo.gl/ZhRpi1’. For more details, one may mail to volunteer.hyticos@gmail.com, or contact on Facebook at ‘https://www.facebook.com/HyTiCos/’ or approach the site ‘https://hyticos.wordpress.com’
