M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, May 17: Deputy director (South division) of the Palamu Tiger Deserve Mukesh Kumar will present the status of the ongoing tiger estimation of the PTR in today’s meeting at the National Tiger Conservation Authority, Delhi.
Mukesh Kumar confirmed to have reached the NTCA office in Delhi for this meeting. The NTCA is holding a meeting with nodal officers of India’s 53 tiger reserves. It will be chaired by the member secretary of the NTCA, SP Yadav.
Chief conservator of forest and field director of PTR Kumar Ashutosh said, “We have sent Mukesh Kumar to apprise the NTCA of our works done so far for tiger estimation.”
Ashutosh said all-India tiger estimation is carried out by camera traps and mobile apps. Estimation by the mobile app has been done arduously and sincerely in the PTR.
All India tiger estimation took off in September 2021 with grilling training of the estimation personnel. It will continue up to July 2022.
According to Kumar Ashutosh, PTR has made significant strides in estimation.
Asked if any trace or evidence of the presence of tiger or tigers has been found in the ongoing survey, the field director said’ “We have been sending scat and camera trap images to the Wildlife Institute of India Dehradun for confirmation and hence at this juncture no further comment can be made.”
Estimation of tigers is not only confined to the PTR. There are 5 wildlife divisions in Jharkhand and 31 territorial divisions. Estimations are going on there too.
Sources said incidents of forest fire hamper camera traps as cameras are shifted to places safer from the fire. There is a need for more strengthening of the camera traps in the Bareysanr range.
Mukesh Kumar said, “We will be conducting camera traps in Bareysanr range till June 15.”
