In the backdrop of concerns regarding the dwindling number of tigers in the country, the ongoing tiger census has brought some more alarming news from Bihar. At the Valmiki Tiger Reserve — Bihar’s only national park — only three adult tigers have been caught by the trap cameras so far. The census is set to wrap up in June.
While the reserve, spread over 880 sq km, including 340 sq km core area in West Champaran along the Nepal border, boasted of 63 tigers in 1990, the number had fallen to 13 in the last tiger census in 2006.
Ironically, the Valmiki reserve, which was declared a national park in 1991, was categorised as a ‘level I’ reserve on account of the large area, ample vegetation and abundant availability of species of tiger prey. The authorities claim that the tigers may have slipped into Nepal.
“Phase-I data collection on indirect sign of carnivores, encounter rate and concentration of prey species is encouraging. Trap cameras might have shown just three tigers, but the figure should go up from last time. If that does not happen, we will have to assume that some tigers slipped into contiguous Chitwan forest of Nepal,” said J P Gupta, conservator of forest-cum-field director of the reserve.
On March 18, a four-year-old tigress was allegedly poisoned to death and buried near Kanti Tola in Madanpur Range. Forest officials, who claim they have “no wherewithal for enforcement of forest laws”, have asked for a CID probe.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/From-63-in--90--tiger-population-down-to-3-in-Bihar-reserve/609515
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