Mizoram’s Dampa Tiger Reserve and West Bengal’s Buxa Tiger Reserve don’t have any tigers left, according to an official report released on Tuesday by Union environment minister Prakash Javadekar.
Corbett Tiger Reserve has the largest population of tigers with about 231 tigers, while Bandhavgarh, Bandipur, Nagarhole, Mudumalai and Kaziranga each had more than 100 tigers, according to the Status of Tigers, Co-predators and Prey in India report for 2018.
Dudhwa, Kanha, Tadoba, Sathyamangalam and Sundarban each had more than 80 tigers, the report said.
No tiger was recorded in Palamau Tiger Reserve during the 2018 assessment, according to the report. However, one tiger was photo captured and evidence of tiger signs were subsequently recorded from the tiger reserve between January and August 2019.
The poor tiger status in Indravati, Udanti-Sitanadi and Achanakmar was related to the poor law and order situation in these areas, the report indicated.
Some reserves such as Similipal, Amrabad, Nagarjunsagar Sri Sailam, Palamau, Sanjay-Dubri, Manas, Buxa, Dampa, Anshi Dandeli, Pakke, Nameri and Kawal are below their potential and require resources for better management.
“For reintroduction of tigers into Palamau, prey augmentation needs to be coupled with restoration of law and order. For tiger reintroduction or supplementation in Palamau and Similipal, tigers need to be sourced from the closest source in the same genetic cluster,” the report said.
“Buxa and Dampa can be repopulated through reintroductions from Kaziranga, after prey restoration in Buxa and strengthening protection in Dampa, which has a good prey base,” it added.
Currently, tiger population within reserves is 1,923 (65% of the total tiger population of India), which means 35% of the tiger population still lives outside the reserves.
The largest contiguous tiger population in the world of about 724 tigers was found in the Western Ghats (Nagarhole-Bandipur-Wayanad-MudumalaiSatyamangalam-BRT block), while the second largest population of about 604 tigers was found across Uttrakhand and western Uttar Pradesh (Rajaji-Corbett-Ramnagar-Pilibhit-Dudhwa block).
