Forest Department sent a report to the Wildlife Institute of India, data will be released soon.

After the final count of tigers in Madhya Pradesh tiger reserves, it is estimated that there is an increase in the number by 150, although the final results are not yet out. It is to be mentioned that the fourth round of the Tiger Survey was completed in October. It is only after the completion of the three-phase calculation i.e increase of 150 numbers of tigers; Madhya Pradesh is expected to retain the title of Tiger state.

Madhya Pradesh has also provided the census details to the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun. The results will be announced by the Tiger Assessment 2022.

The count started in the month of November 2021

The third phase of the count was completed in April 2022 after which the fourth phase of the count started in protected areas. The fourth phase of the count ended in the month of October. This year's census is expected to witness an increase in the population of tigers as compared to the previous year. The numbers are expected to go high as 150 and if that happens there will be more than 700 tigers in the state.

In the year 2018, the census showed there were 526 tigers in the state which was the highest in the country. The State of Karnataka is ranked second on the list with 524 tigers in their count.

Madhya Pradesh may retain the status of Tiger State

According to the experts, Madhya Pradesh may successfully retain its status of being known as a Tiger state. There have been frequent reports on the increasing population of tigers in Madhya Pradesh and it is speculated that the state may soon reclaim the status of Tiger State.

Presently, the tiger census is completed whose report is being sent to the Wildlife Institute of India. The results are expected to be out in March 2023. The last result was declared in July 2018.

The Calculation Methodology

The first step of the tiger count is conducted by drawing transit lines in fixed locations in the forest. A report is prepared on the basis of the count of wildlife passing through the line from morning till evening. The satellite image, photos taken with a trap camera and data which is taken from the forest are used to collate the numbers.  Scientists from the Wildlife Institute of India match the strips of Tiger bodies taken from different photos to decide if it is the same tiger. This calculation is supported by photos taken through satellite, camera which are used in the process.

Mutual Conflict has also claimed the lives

As per a report between the year 2014 to 2018, 115 tigers died in Madhya Pradesh. Out of which 40 died due to mutual conflict, and 21 Leopards and 16 tigers died due to electrocution.

The report was prepared by the CAG on Wildlife Conservation and Sustainable Management of Wildlife Habitats in Madhya Pradesh.

In the census 2018, it was stated that the number of tigers increased by 71% and became the highest in the country at 526.  2 of the tigers were shifted to Satkoshia Tiger Reserve in Odisha which led to the loss of one tiger due to weakened security measures and the other failed to adapt to the new place.

Between 2014 and 2018, 115 tigers and 209 leopards died out of which 80 death cases were confirmed. The death rate of tigers was highest in Kanha and Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserves. Despite that, the response stated by Forest Department in July 2021 termed mutual conflict in tiger ecology as normal behavior and mentioned that there is an increase of 71% in the number of Tigers.

[Story Translated By Ritwik Dutta.]