Wildlife census commences in Jharkhand

Medininagar (Jharkhand), Dec 15 (PTI) Wildlife census in Jharkhand began on Monday, with officials using a mobile application for data collection, forest department officials said.

"This census is being conducted in 31 territorial forest areas (general forest divisions) and five protected forest areas (wildlife divisions) of the state, including the Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR) and Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary," state nodal officer for the exercise and PTR field director SR Natesh said.

This census is conducted every four years using a completely scientific method to obtain accurate information regarding the presence of wildlife, the official added.

"The counting of wild animals has started simultaneously in more than half of the forests in the country. Soon, the counting will begin in the remaining reserves and territorial forest areas too," Natesh, who is also the chief conservator of forests, said.

The census is being held under the guidance of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).

"It involves field data collection and the use of camera traps. Additionally, an ecological app is being used in this process," the forest official said.

Giving detailed information about the census, PTR deputy director Kumar Ashish said, "Currently, there are 58 reserves (sanctuaries) in India, including the Madhav Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, which was declared in March." "According to the 2022 census, there are 3,167 tigers in the country, which is 70 per cent of the total world population. The numbers are likely to go up this time," Ashish said.

Ashish said a special feature of this census is that, in addition to technology and satellite-based surveys, a manual counting system is also being used, which involves collecting animal droppings, and noting footprints and scratch marks.

The app-based census will continue till December 22. Thereafter, wildlife counting in both protected and non-protected forest divisions will be conducted with human assistance and is expected to conclude by April 2026.

Around 1,600 forest personnel have been deployed for the exercise, and volunteers will also be engaged to support the operation, officials said. PTI CORR ANB MNB