Karnataka’s tiger population in five reserves stands at 393

Bengaluru, Mar 27 (PTI) The Forest Department on Thursday announced that the estimated population of tigers in Karnataka's five tiger reserves stands at 393, based on the Phase IV monitoring survey conducted by the state in 2024.

    As part of the annual monitoring of tigers and their prey in the country's tiger reserves, the survey was conducted between November 2023 and February 2024 in Nagarahole, Bandipur, Bhadra, Biligiri Ranganathaswamy Temple (BRT), and Kali (Dandeli-Anshi) tiger reserves in Karnataka, it stated.
    According to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) protocol, Phase IV monitoring surveys are conducted annually in all tiger reserves, officials stated.
    After analysis, the Forest Department, through its Karnataka Wildlife Technical Cell, has released an annual report on the status of tigers, prey, and other mammals in Karnataka, 2024.
    The report was unveiled by Forest and Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre on Thursday.
    Citing the report, the department stated that a total of 2,160 camera trap locations were set up across the tiger reserves, capturing approximately 6.1 million images of various wildlife species.
    Tiger images were segregated using AI-based software and processed to identify individual tigers based on the unique stripe patterns on both flanks of each animal.
    "The estimated tiger population in Karnataka's five tiger reserves during the 2024 Phase IV monitoring is 393. This includes observations of individual tigers moving across the landscape from tiger reserves to other habitats in the state," the report stated.

    "Multiple pieces of evidence suggest that tigers have dispersed from the reserves to adjoining habitats in search of territory," it added.
    The report further noted that due to the dispersal of tigers, fluctuations have been observed in the annual population estimates of the five tiger reserves.
    However, the statewide tiger population—assessed once every four years—has shown a steady increase over time, both within these reserves and in other potential tiger habitats.
    "The upcoming All India Tiger Estimation (AITE)–2026 is expected to provide a clearer understanding of tigers that have established themselves in other protected areas after dispersing from the tiger reserves," the report added.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)