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Rangaswamy Tiger Reserve. The average number of tigers in the area
found to be more than six in per 100 square kilometers area of the
tiger reserve.
In camera trap survey method hundreds of camera traps placed on
the paths used by tigers in forest. These censor-based camera capture
pictures of tigers when they come in the range of them. However, this
method persists some problems also, such as possibility of repeated
photo capture of a tiger on different locations. Captured Images were
sorted on the basis of wildlife species and individual tigers were
identifed using the Wild-ID, a pattern recognition software, to match
tiger stripes and cross-checked manually, after which every individual
tiger was given a temporary identifcation number as prescribed
under the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) protocol.
“Wildlife population often found to be higher in high quality natural
habitat. But the abundance of a particular species at one site too can be
a threat for their existence. In such a situation, animals start migrating
to adjacent low-quality habitat. Although animals has to struggle there
too if the habitat quality is not enough good for their existence”, Say
Sanjay Gubbi,
1
member of the study group. Gubbi is renowned Indian
environmentalist associated with Nature Conservation Foundation
based in Mysore, India.
Rangawamy tiger reserve is part of a larger landscape consisting
of other protected areas including Malai Mahadeshwara Hills and
Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, Bannerghatta National Park in Karnataka,
and Satyamangalam Tiger Reserve and North Cauvery Wildlife
Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu. Ragaswamy reserve hosts a diversity of
habitats within its boundaries including evergreen and semi-evergreen
forests, dry and moist deciduous forests, and scrub growth. According
to Gubbi, “It’s important to scientifcally monitor tiger numbers in all
tiger source sites which we have tried to do at Ragaswamy reserve. It
also provides an opportunity to understand the source-sink dynamics
as Rangaswamy Tiger Reserve itself is nestled within a larger tiger
landscape.”
“This study suggests exchanging policy and management
information across the landscape as there are four protected areas
and other reserved forests within the landscape. A very important
point would be to gazette North Baragur, South Baragur, Biligundlu,
Taggatti, Bandavadi and other reserved forests that are in Tamil
Nadu and adjoins Rangaswamy Tiger Reserve and MM Hills
Wildlife Sanctuary as part of a wildlife sanctuary”, say Gubbi. Apart
from Sanjay Gubbi, study team includes Rashmi Bhatt of Nature
Conservation Foundation and Ling raj & Swayam Chaudhary
2
of
Forest Department of Karnataka. Study was recently published in
research journal Current Science.
3
Acknowledgements
None.
Confict of interest
The author declares no confict of interest.
References
1. Gubbi S, Nagashettihalli H, Kolekar A, et al. From intent to action: a case
study for the expansion of tiger conservation from southern India. Glob
Ecol Conserv. 2017;2017(9):11–20.
2. Lingaraja SS, Swayam Chowdhary, Rashmi Bhat, et al. Evaluating a
survey landscape for tiger abundance in the confuence of the Western
and Eastern Ghats. Current Science. 2017;113(9):1759–1763.
3. Bolger DT, Morrison TA, Vance B, et al. A computer-assisted system
for photographic mark–recapture analysis. Methods in Ecology and
Evolution. 2012;3:813–822.
Citation: Mishra U, Mishra P. Integrated monitoring can be effective in tiger conservation. Int J Avian & Wildlife Biol.
2017;2(5):159. DOI: 10.15406/ijawb.2017.02.00034
159
© 2017 Mishra et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which
permits unrestricted use, distribution, and build upon your work non-commercially.
Integrated monitoring can be effective in tiger
conservation
Volume 2 Issue 5 - 2017
Umashankar Mishra,
1
Priyanka Mishra
2
1
India Science Wire, India
2
ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources, India
Correspondence: Priyanka Mishra, ICAR-National Bureau of
Animal Genetic Resources, Haryana, India,
Email miraclepriya@gmail.com
Received: November 26, 2017 | Published: December 01,
2017
International Journal of Avian & Wildlife Biology
Opinion
Open Access
Opinion
Decline in number of tigers around the world has prompted range
countries for setting up goal to double tiger population by year 2022.
However lack of scientifc data about the tiger population is a major
problem. Now Indian researchers have found in a study that integrated
monitoring could be helpful in tiger conservation. Researchers wanted
to know that how the tiger population is affected by variation in habitat
quality. Study was conducted with camera trap method in Beligiri
Rangaswamy Temple tiger reserve in Karnataka province of India.
Camera traps were deployed at 157 locations during March and May
2015. A total of 535 tiger photographic ‘captures’ were obtained from
the camera trapping efforts. Researchers have estimated 55 tigers in