Tigers double in Andhra; green corridor from Srisailam to introduce big cats to Seshachalam

Tirupati: Since the tiger population in Andhra Pradesh has doubled, the state government is planning to develop a corridor from Nagarajunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR) in Nallamalla forests to Seshachalam corridor, said the minister for environment, forest, science and technology, Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy.

The minister was the chief guest at the International Tiger Day celebrations at SV Zoo Park on Saturday. Among other activities, he unveiled a book and a poster on the Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR).

Tech helped increase numbers

According to the data by NSTR, in 2010, there are 45 tigers and the numbers have doubled to 80 now. It was 37 in 2014-15, 46 in 2016-17 and 2017-18, 47 in 2018-19 and 63 in 2019-20.

The Monitoring System for Tigers-Intensive Protection and Ecological Status (M-StrIPES) mobile app, introduced for overseeing the patrolling by over 1,400 personnel, helped with the increase in tigers. Currently, the officials are monitoring the movement of tigers through camera traps to prevent any illegal activities such as poaching.

According to the minister, the first step for the conservation of tigers was inspired by a meeting held in Russia. “Around 12 years ago, there was a small lab in Srisailam which was used to count tigers on the basis of fingerprints. But now there are still and video cameras and drones to count them more accurately.”

No big cats in Seshachalam

Currently, there are no big tigers in the Seshachalam forests. However, the records stated that the Britishers had hunted the tigers near Mamanuduru Guest House. Considering this legacy, Ramachandra Reddy said the government was planning to link Nallamala and Seshachelam forests, create a corridor and enable tigers and leopards from Nallamala forest to enter Seshachelam. It would contribute to the conservation of the forest apart from providing shelter for cheetahs and big cats.

“The expansion of NSTR will gain prominence in the coming years for its efforts to help in the conservation of big cats and wild animals,” the minister said.

Increase in tiger area

While Srisailam Nagarjunasagar Tiger Zone is spread across 8 lakh acres, chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has made proposals to increase the zone by another 5 lakh acres.

NSTR, which is the largest tiger reserve in India, has been registering a steady increase in the number of tigers in the Nallamala hill ranges in AP. It attained the status of a tiger reserve in 1983 and has a total area of 3,737 sq km, spread across the Prakasam, Nandyal and Palnadu districts of the state.

Over the past few years, the fifth cycle of the Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) of NSTR shows an improvement from good to very good. According to the Wildlife Institute of India, protected area (PA) management effectiveness evaluation (MEE) is defined as the assessment of how well PAs are being managed, primarily, whether they are protecting the values and achieving the agreed-upon goals and objectives. The first cycle was conducted in 2006 when NSTR was marked as ‘Fair’.

At the end of the celebrations, Ramachandra Reddy also presented certificates of appreciation to students who excelled in various competitions and to the forest officials who excelled in forest conservation.

Madhya Pradesh has highest tiger count

As per the report, Status of Tigers: Co-predators & Prey in India-2022, released by the National Tiger Conservation Authority and Wildlife Institute of India, Madhya Pradesh has the highest number of tigers in the country, followed by Karnataka (563) and Uttarakhand (560).

Madhya Pradesh forests added 259 tigers in four years, as per the survey. The number of tigers in Madhya Pradesh rose to 785 in 2022 and from 526 in 2018.

“It is a matter of great pleasure that as a result of cooperation of the people of our state and untiring efforts of the forest department, the number of tigers in our state has increased to 785 from 526 in four years,” MP chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said in a tweet.

The tiger count in the state was 300 in 2006, but in 2010 the state slipped from its number one position as the tiger population declined to 257 against the 300 in Karnataka. In 2014, Karnataka recorded 406 tigers while MP recorded 300 big cats. But the tiger population in Madhya Pradesh rose and it reclaimed the top position in 2018 with 526 big cats recorded against 524 in Karnataka.

Madhya Pradesh has six tiger reserves: Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Panna, Pench, Satpura and Sanjay-Dubri Tiger Reserve.