The Odisha government has confirmed the presence of tigers in three more forests in the State.
Movement of the Royal Bengal tigers has been captured by closed-circuit television cameras installed at the Hemgiri forest in Sundargarh and Debrigarh sanctuaries in Sambalpur districts, while indirect evidence such as people hearing tiger roars and cattle killing by big cats have been collected from the Muniguda forest in Rayagada district.
These evidence have prompted Forest and Environment Minister Bijoyshree Routray to put the State’s tiger population at around 60.
Increasing population
The Similipal Tiger Reserve in Mayurbhanj and the Satokosia Tiger Reserve in Angul district are two known habitats of the big cat in the State.
According to a tiger census conducted by the State government in 2016, there were around 40 tigers in Similipal.
The Wildlife Institute of India had estimated the tiger population of Similipal at 28 in 2014.
“We believe that the Sunabeda sanctuary in Nuapada district has four big cats. Neither movement of tigers has been captured on camera, nor has any formal tiger census been conducted there.
Sunabeda has been a stronghold of the outlawed CPI(Maoist) because of which the tiger census at the sanctuary has been postponed in the past,” said Mr. Routray.
More tiger reserves
The Minister said sightings of tigers is a sign that a robust ecosystems exists in the State.
The government is planning to propose identification and development of Debrigarh and Sunabeda as two new tiger reserves in the State.
At present, the State government is focusing on increasing the tiger population in Satkosia reserve. As part of its strategy, six tigers (three pairs) were to be brought from Madhya Pradesh.
Two felines have already been released in Satkosia, but resistance from local population in buffer villages has delayed the transportation and release of the other tigers.