M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, Jan 6: The Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun has confirmed one of the 6 samples of scat that were sent in December end, to be of a tiger in the Palamu Tiger Reserve.
Field director and chief conservator of forest at PTR Kumar Ashutosh has confirmed it today.
“We had sent 6 samples of scat to the Wildlife Institute of India Dehradun in December. Now, we have received a report of the genetic analysis of the 6 samples from there which confirms the presence of a tiger in the tiger reserve,” he said.
“One other sample was of a leopard according to the institute,” he added. Four samples could not be genetically analysed as they were found to be old.
Old and weather-beaten samples of scat are discarded by the Wildlife Institute of India Dehradun for any genetic analysis.
The Field director informed that the gender of the tiger is not decided by the genetic analysis of the scat.
Asked if samples of scat and hair purported to be of tiger in the Mahuadanr range of PTR have also been sent to the Wildlife Institute of India, the field director said yes.
“We have sent two samples of scat collected in the Mahuadanr range.”
Again asked if any tigress with cubs has been noticed in the Mahuadanr range recently, the field director said: “We have collected two samples of scat, not knowing at all if the scats are of the adult tiger or tigress or of the cubs.”
