In a piece of good news for animal lovers, the tiger population has increased in Odisha. At present, there are 30 tigers and eight cubs (under less than one year) in Odisha, as per the first All Odisha Tiger Estimation (AOTE) report 2023-24 conducted by the Odisha Forest Department.
As per the report, of the 30 tigers, a total of 27 unique adult tigers were camera-trapped in Odisha during the AOTE exercise, and the rest three adult tigers were also seen in the Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR), which have not been camera-trapped.
The 27 tigers include 14 males and 13 females. The STR has the highest number of 24 big cats. It has 11 usual morph tigers (seven females and four males), 13 pseudo melanistic tigers (seven females and six males), and eight tiger cubs.
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Apart from the STR, Keonjhar Territorial and Keonjhar Wildlife, Paralakhemundi Territorial and Hirakud Wildlife have one tiger each.
The report suggests that the tiger population in Odisha has increased from the previous estimate of AITE (All India Tiger Estimation), 2022 which reported a minimum of 17 tigers that were camera-trapped in Odisha and were confined to the STR.
The Similipal Tiger Reserve has witnessed an increase from 16 tigers captured through Camera Traps in 2021-2022 to the present number of 27.
The growth has been ascribed to strict management actions and scientific conservation practices.
The All Odisha Tiger Estimation (AOTE), 2023-2024 was conducted across 47 forest divisions.