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Fresh tiger pug marks in Sahyadri forest range

          New Delhi: Fresh tiger paw prints have been spotted in the Sahyadri mountain range along the western coast of Maharashtra. The former head of the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Vishwas Sawarkar, has claimed that in the unprotected forests some 20 Bengal Tigers may be roaming in a region where tigers haven't been spotted for at least three decades. "My educated guess is that there could be at least 20 tigers in Sahyadri. We have seen clear evidence in the form of," the National Geographic quoted Sawarkar, as saying. If confirmed, Sawarkar's find would be encouraging at a time when Indian tiger numbers-particularly in unprotected forest areas-have plummeted, mostly due to widespread poaching and habitat destruction. Sawarkar says, "These tigers are claiming their original range again, which is an excellent thing." "Tigers living outside protected areas is definitely a good sign and would ideally indicate healthy populations in nearby protected areas," said Milind Pariwakam, WWF scientist. But Pariwakam and others question Sawarkar's claim that 20 tigers may be living in Sahyadri. Sawarkar is confident that an ongoing state-of-the-art tiger census, conducted by WII, will officially confirm his estimate. The WII census-the results of which should be released by late 2007-is unprecedented in its use of new tiger-tallying techniques. For example, scientists are using strategically placed cameras fitted with motion sensors to count passing tigers. Preliminary estimates based on the census suggest that India's wild tiger population numbers between 1,300 and 1,500, less than half of what it was in 2002.
- September 15,  2007