Karnataka, one among India’s key tiger conservation states, has witnessed a marginal decline in its tiger inhabitants, in keeping with the section IV tiger-monitoring survey carried out in 2024. The forest division believes that tiger dispersal is considerably influencing the numbers.
The survey, carried out throughout Karnataka’s 5 tiger reserves—Bandipur, Nagarahole, BRT Tiger Reserve, Kali Tiger Reserve, and Bhadra Tiger Reserve—recorded an estimated inhabitants of 393 tigers in 2024, down from 408 in 2023, marking a decline of 15 tigers. The variety of distinctive tigers captured additionally decreased from 384 in 2023 to 373 in 2024.
Carried out beneath the Nationwide Tiger Conservation Authority’s pointers, the survey employed superior digital camera trapping and direct sighting methods. Researchers and forest officers meticulously tracked tiger actions, analysing pugmarks, scat samples, and territorial markings.
In response to the report, the slight decline in tiger numbers inside protected areas doesn’t essentially sign a worrying pattern. Conservationists and forest officers clarify that tiger dispersal—the motion of tigers from core reserves to buffer zones and different forested landscapes—is a pure phenomenon. Dispersing tigers search new territories owing to rising densities inside core areas, competitors for prey, and habitat growth.
“Tiger numbers inside reserves fluctuate as a result of dispersal. Some tigers transfer into unprotected forests, different states, and even human-dominated landscapes. Our previous knowledge reveals that whereas numbers inside reserves could dip quickly, the general tiger inhabitants stays steady,” the forest division acknowledged.
Karnataka has persistently ranked among the many high states for tiger conservation in India. The All India Tiger Estimation 2022 positioned the state because the second-highest tiger-populated state, with an estimated 563 tigers, simply behind Madhya Pradesh.
Wildlife specialists consider that whereas the latest section IV survey reveals a minor dip, the statewide tiger inhabitants is predicted to stay robust. Forest officers emphasise that fluctuations in numbers inside reserves are pure and don’t point out an general inhabitants decline.
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The federal government believes that the subsequent All India Tiger Estimation, in 2026, will present a extra complete image of Karnataka’s general tiger inhabitants developments.
Joseph Hoover, a wildlife conservationist, mentioned, “Tigers have been transferring into different areas, together with Kerala and Tamil Nadu, over the previous one and a half years. Pure deaths as a result of territorial fights are frequent, particularly throughout the mating season, which lasts from late November to February. After mating, tiger deaths improve, with an estimated 12 to fifteen tigers perishing yearly as a result of territorial clashes.”
He added, “One of many primary causes for tiger motion is competitors for territory. The dominant tigers drive away weaker ones, forcing them to hunt new pastures outdoors core habitats, typically in buffer zones and even past designated tiger reserves. Presently, 24 tigers have been recorded residing outdoors conventional tiger habitats.”
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