Census in 2004, confusion over tiger count

[Guest guest]

Dear Azam,

 

The concept of census, its dependability..... has forever been a very

debated one... often proved to be highly unreliable and incorrect. And if

that was not enough, of late the government on the pretext of encouraging

tourism ropes in general public having absolutely no clue of why they are

there for. I am listing a couple of points which could be worth a thought -

 

1) census is conducted by dividing the forest territory into segments

assuming that there is no cross over of animals - mind u the segments are on

paper... no fence or boundary to limit the animal's movements..

 

2) Most census uses the primitive method of tracing - using pug marks and in

some cases human sightings. The claims of having camera traps are sporadic.

I am unsure if there are people available who can identify different

individuals based on the markings

 

3) untrained people roped in for census... first timers come into the jungle

with brightly colored clothers, people smoking and drinking liquor and go

away littering the jungle with plastic and other city waste (also observed

in the recent elephant census in South India).

 

4) In one particular census that i was also involved in, we estimated 17

tigers in a particular jungle and submitted the report to the government....

they announced 29. They seem to include the poached skins also... Where did

the other 12 come in from. Repeated emails and calls and visits to the govt

offices were futile.

 

5) different organizations come up with different numbers. Highest numbers

are reported by.....no prize for the right guess...yea by the government.

 

6) No measures taken at the grass root level to work on the numbers dropping

and all other issues related to this!

*

 

Suggestions:

*

 

1) For once, spend quality time and money, investing in more sophisticated

equipment and get the actual numbers atleast to track the animals in the CR

and VL categories and estimate the ACTUALS.

 

2) Do not allow only the government to be the sole body providing census

counts.... Either groups work together, else groups assemble with the

numbers and see if they are roughly the same, if distinct differences, then

redo the census instead of adjusting.

 

3) Have an independent law agency involved with the census so that scenes of

crime (bullet pellets, other weapons, traps) are traced, investigated and

report submitted.

 

4) If general public is being invited for census atleast have a basic

screening to understand if they have some knowledge about the animals they

intend to count and some knowledge about the methods (One person who went

for the elephant census at bandipur recently was heard saying that he did

not count one group of elephants because they LOOKED similar to a herd he

had counted). Also have a basic education session on clothing and ethics.

 

5) Animal conferences wherein voting takes place pass off like a school

vote, completely unprofessional in nature, resulting in only waste of time

and money. Recent resolutions at a conference in India also dont seem to

have been enforced in any way. Make use of such golden opportunities more

effectively.

 

6) Have appropriate individuals legally reponsible for declining numbers (if

found to be unnatural cases of death) and gross negligence in checkin

poaching activities and illegal clearance of forest land.

 

There are many other suggestions and I am sure other here have inputs to

this too. But I think the above mentioned would graze the surface atleast!

 

Thanks,

Pablo.

 

 

On 5/25/07, AZAM SIDDIQUI <azam24x7 wrote:

>

> Link:

> http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070525/asp/jamshedpur/story_7826652.asp

>

> Census in 2004, confusion over tiger count

> OUR CORRESPONDENT

>

> *Ranchi, May 24*: The sight of the big cat is a rare one at the Palamau

> Tiger Reserve but if asked about the exact count, the number may vary from

> seven to 37.

>

> The state forest department is clueless about what could be the exact

> number of the big cats right now. When asked, chief conservator of forests

> (wildlife) U.R. Biswas said the number of the big cats ranges between 34

> and 38. But his estimate of the tiger population was based on the census

> conducted in 2004. There was no census of the tiger in the Palamau Tiger

> Reserve since 2005. Ironically, tiger trackers put the figure at not more

> than seven.

>

> He said the census conducted by Wildlife Institute of India, which

> released the tiger population in 16 of 28 reserves yesterday, will release

> it for the Palamau Tiger Reserve by December.

>

> The chief conservator said the method they adopted to assess the tiger

> population was by tracing pug marks. However, the reliability of the method

> was always questioned, though it had been followed since 1935, he added.

>

> The Wildlife Institute of India has conducted the census using scientific

> technique of collecting direct evidences through camera trap and statistical

> analysis.

>

> The institute had rated Palamau Tiger Reserve as " very good " despite

> issues involving separatists, poor law and order situation and declining

> tiger numbers. Interestingly, the actual number of tigers in the Palamau

> Tiger Reserve had always been a matter of dispute.

>

> Since the first census in 1934, population of tigers showed a steady

> decline till 1972 when their number dwindled to 17. However, after the

> declaration of the sanctuary in 1973, the number showed a rise, reaching a

> figure of 55. The 1991 census figure shows the tiger population as 54. The

> 2004 animal census puts the number at 38.

>

> Significantly, the report of Comptroller & Auditor General, tabled in the

> House this year, had also raised objections to the method of census adopted

> by the reserve.

>

> The test check showed that annual tiger estimation was conducted in

> Palamau Tiger Reserve by untrained staff on the basis of pug marks, which

> was not a scientific method of census, the report noted.

>

> " It was against the guidelines issued by the ministry of environment and

> forests from time to time for tiger estimation, " it pointed out.

>

>

 

 

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