Odisha News, Odisha Latest news, Odisha Daily - OrissaPOST
  • Home
  • Trending
  • State
  • Metro
  • National
  • International
  • Business
  • Feature
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • More..
    • Odisha Special
    • Editorial
    • Opinion
    • Careers
    • Sci-Tech
    • Timeout
    • Horoscope
    • Today’s Pic
  • Video
  • Epaper
  • News in Odia
  • Home
  • Trending
  • State
  • Metro
  • National
  • International
  • Business
  • Feature
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • More..
    • Odisha Special
    • Editorial
    • Opinion
    • Careers
    • Sci-Tech
    • Timeout
    • Horoscope
    • Today’s Pic
  • Video
  • Epaper
  • News in Odia
No Result
View All Result
OrissaPOST - Odisha Latest news, English Daily -
No Result
View All Result

Chaos at top of pyramid

Regular incidence of poaching in the jungles of Odisha is a matter of grave concern for the survival of tigers

Updated: January 10th, 2019, 23:17 IST
in Opinion
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsAppShare on Linkedin

Bijay Ketan Patnaik


Only 1,411 tigers left in the wild: National print and electronic media highlighted this point when the report of Tiger Census 2006 — conducted by Wildlife Institute of India using camera trap method for the first time — was published in 2008. Some predicted the tiger will vanish from the country in the near future. Earlier, tigers were counted using pugmark census, a technique developed by the founder director of Similipal National Park Padmashri Saroj Raj Choudhary. In 2004, the pugmark census put the total number of tigers in the country at 3,642. So, when the report of Tiger Census 2006 came out, there was clamour that the big cat number had declined by more than 60 per cent from the pugmark census.

Also Read

MS Swaminathan at IARI Wheat Field (2005). (Image credit- mssrf.org)

Farmers’ Scientist

2 years ago

Taming nature

2 years ago

The camera trap census for Odisha showed the state had only 45 tigers, as against 192, including 60 cubs reported in the 2004 census. Similipal, the report said, had only 20 tigers, compared with 94 (including 28 cubs) in the 2004 pugmark census. This drastic reduction sent a panic wave among foresters, wildlife lovers, experts and environmentalists. National Tiger Conservation Authority, the prime body looking after tigers, then initiated corrective action to conserve and expand tiger population at reserves nationwide.

Tiger census using capture-recapture method with camera trap was repeated every fourth year. The 2010 census revealed some positive development and the country’s tiger population was reported to be 1,706. The trend continued in 2014 census also and the tiger population was estimated to be 2,226. Unfortunately, in both these consecutive estimations, the tiger population of Odisha declined. It fell from 45 to 32 in 2010 and from 32 to 28 in the 2014 estimation.

Deeper analysis showed that during 2010, the tiger population in Similipal and Satkosia reserves stood at 23 and 8 respectively, which meant that beyond these two reserves, there was only one tiger left in the wild. The All-India Tiger Estimation Report 2014 put corresponding numbers at 17 in Similipal and 3 in Satkosia and 4 to 5 in the proposed Sunabeda tiger reserve, where on two earlier occasions — 2006 and 2010 — camera trap census was not carried out due to Left Wing Extremist activities.

These figures showed the big cat population in the state was under considerable stress owing to poaching. Although the state wildlife wing reported that only 3 tigers died during 2013-14 to 2017-18, the sudden spurt in tiger deaths over the last two years bears testimony to the stress.

In December 2016, the carcass of a Bengal tiger was recovered from the border of Bolangir and Nuapada districts. This tiger may have strayed from the Sunabeda reserve. The death raised questions about wildlife protection measures. A few months later, the state forest department announced that three tigers were spotted outside the reserve — one in Hemgiri forest of Sundergarh Forest Division, another in Debrigarh Wildlife sanctuary and the third at Muniguda of Rayagada Forest Division.

But in October 2018, the carcass of one of these tigers was recovered from near Debrigarh wildlife sanctuary. It had been killed and buried by poachers.

Most recently, November 14, 2018, Mahavir (T1), translocated from Kanha Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, was found dead with a deep cut to its neck later affirmed to have been caused by a snare laid by poachers.

Sundari (T2) a tigress translocated to Satkosia from Bandhavgarh in Madhya Pradesh had to be tranquilised and returned to an enclosure in the core of the jungle after it killed two human beings by accident. The tigress is under tremendous stress and is losing its wildness from being in the enclosure for long. Some also fear for the fate of two resident tigresses in Satkosia. Residents of villages surrounding the reserve are apprehensive and intolerant of tiger movement in the forest as it could hamper their illegal activities such as poaching, timber smuggling and gathering firewood from the forest. This leads them to systematically eliminate tigers and other animals, both herbivores and small carnivores. Such incidents regularly occurring in our forests raise serious concerns about the safety of wild animals, particularly the tiger.

The writer is former PCCF (WL) and CWLW, Odisha.

Tags: Odisha tiger numberOpinionORISSA POST
Share7TweetSendShare
Suggest A Correction

Enter your email to get our daily news in your inbox.

 

OrissaPOST epaper Sunday POST OrissaPOST epaper

Click Here: Plastic Free Odisha

slide 2 to 4 of 30
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Vandana Singh

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Parbati Mohanty

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Priyabrata Mohanty

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Ramakanta Sahoo

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Subhajyoti Mohanty

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Ankita Balabantray

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Adweeti Bhattacharya

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Pratik Kumar Ghibela

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Swarit Praharaj

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Ramakanta Sahoo

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Jhili Jena

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Chinmay Kumar Routray

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Nishikant Rout

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Akriti Negi

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Ipsita

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Sarmistha Nayak

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Mrutyunjaya Behera

December 12, 2019
?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Dibya Ranjan Das

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Diptiranjan Biswal

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Sarfraz Ahmad

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Tapaswini Mallick

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Shreyanshu Bal

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Lopali Pattnaik

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Jyotshna Mayee Pattnaik

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Sipra Mishra

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Mandakini Dakua

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Kamana Singh

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Sibarama Khotei

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Surya Sidhant Rath

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Rajashree Manasa Mohanty

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Vandana Singh

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Parbati Mohanty

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Priyabrata Mohanty

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Ramakanta Sahoo

December 12, 2019

Archives

Select Month

    Editorial

    German Challenge

    Germany flag
    May 7, 2025

    With the assumption of office by Christian Democratic Union (CDU) leader Friedrich Merz as Chancellor of Germany 6 May, Europe’s...

    Read more

    (Anti)-Trump Card 

    Trump
    May 6, 2025

    First it was Canada, and now Australia and Singapore: the anti-Trump factor appears to be benefiting parties that are perceived...

    Read more

    Mandal-Kamandal 2.0

    Caste census
    May 5, 2025

    The decision taken at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA), headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi...

    Read more

    Hyphen in Geopolitics

    Aakar Patel
    May 4, 2025

    Through the 1990s and up until fairly recently, India insisted on something called de-hyphenation. The hyphen referred to was the...

    Read more
    • Home
    • State
    • Metro
    • National
    • International
    • Business
    • Editorial
    • Opinion
    • Sports
    • About Us
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Jobs
    Developed By Ratna Technology

    © 2024 All rights Reserved by OrissaPOST

    • News in Odia
    • Orissa POST Epaper
    • Video
    • Home
    • Trending
    • Metro
    • State
    • Odisha Special
    • National
    • International
    • Sports
    • Business
    • Editorial
    • Entertainment
    • Horoscope
    • Careers
    • Feature
    • Today’s Pic
    • Opinion
    • Sci-Tech
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Jobs

    © 2024 All rights Reserved by OrissaPOST

      • News in Odia
      • Orissa POST Epaper
      • Video
      • Home
      • Trending
      • Metro
      • State
      • Odisha Special
      • National
      • International
      • Sports
      • Business
      • Editorial
      • Entertainment
      • Horoscope
      • Careers
      • Feature
      • Today’s Pic
      • Opinion
      • Sci-Tech
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Jobs

      © 2024 All rights Reserved by OrissaPOST