Tiger population goes up in Odisha’s Similipal Tiger Reserve

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Sept 9:

There is good news for the wildlife lovers of Odisha. Tiger population has gone up in the Similipal National Park in Mayurbhanj district.

similipal tigers

CCTV cameras placed inside several areas in the Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) zone and its adjacent areas inside the park have revealed the presence of 25 tigers.

According to forest officials, the CCTV cameras placed inside the 400 km radius core area of Naana, Naana South and Upper Barahkamuda ranges inside the 2750 sq km area of Similipal park have taken photographs of these 25 tigers, which include a black tiger.

The Similipal authorities had placed 128 CCTV cameras in these core forest areas declared as a tiger zone in 2012.

“We are very happy to know from the CCTV footage of a female tiger with her cubs inside the tiger zone of the park, which confirms that the tiger population in the park is growing up. We are closely monitoring their movement round-the-clock,” said Anup Kumar Nayak, Regional Chief Forest Conservator, Baripada, to the media.

It may be mentioned that the flora and fauna of the Park was severely affected due to Maoist activities in 2009. However, after deployment of Central forces, the park authorities had taken steps to declare these core areas of the park as the STR zone.

In 2012, the forest officials had found the presence of a black tiger in the STR zone.

“The latest photos of these 25 tigers have been taken from Debasthala, Meghasana, Manchabanka, STR-60 and STR-9 in the core areas of the park,” Nayak informed.

“Besides, there has been abundant food for the tigers as the density of the park area has increased by 29 percent since 2012. The CCTV footage has confirmed substantial rise in the number of deer and sambhars in these core areas,” Nayak added.

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