Census records 64 per cent increase in Maharashtra tigers

Mumbai: The tiger census of 2019 has recorded around 64 per cent increase in the big cat’s population in Maharashtra since 2014. In the year 2018, the tiger population in the state is estimated at 312. Overall, the number of tigers has increased to 2,967 across India, reve-aled the census report unveiled on Monday by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The last census from 2014 recorded the number of tigers in the state at 190. The Maharashtra forest department has attributed the rise in tiger population to the stringent measures taken for conservation of the big cat.

“The state is planning to track movement of tigers through e-surveillance mechanism now. While the number of tigers has increased in the state, the focus has to be conservation of tigers. Especially the issue of man-animal conflict in regions like Tadoba near Chandrapur area of Vidarbha, where more cubs are growing annually,” said a senior officer from the state forest department.

Officials also believe that given the new additions to the tiger population, it is important to keep their habitats and territories safe. “The state forest department has been more careful now about translocation of sub-adults tigers and made sure that new areas are not near to and prone to human settlement,” said the officer.

Meanwhile, the tiger population across India has increased from 1,400 in 2014 to 2,977 in 2019, according to the report.