Tirupur: Employing 162 people including forest staff and volunteers, the district forest department has formed 42 groups for the animal census that began in Anamalai Tiger Reserve on Tuesday. It will continue till May 28.
The survey will be conducted in Udumalpet and Amaravathi forest ranges.
Students from various colleges are also volunteering, a forest officer said. “The participants will take a note of both direct and indirect records. They will register details of animals and also record indirect markings including footprints and sounds of wild animals. They will keep an eye on other evidences like territory markings like scars on trees, cavities on earth and even urine smells,” he told TOI.
The survey will take place between 6am and 10am every day. The volunteers will take a measured approach for the survey, for which, they are using a mobile app and GPS equipment.
Apart from tigers, ATR has several carnivorous and herbivorous, including elephants, leopard, spotted deer, dhole, moose, mongoose, boar, porcupine and bear. TNN