Odisha forest department has begun the tiger census excerice in Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary at Balasore from Wednesday. It is a part of the ongoing process of surveying and monitoring the movement of carnivores in the sanctuary.
As per reports, 42 forest department employees from 14 beat houses in the sanctuary are taking part in the tiger census exercise which will continue till October 30, 2023.
Speaking to OTV, Assistant Conservator of Forest (ACF), Diganta Shovan Chand said, “We will identify the spots in Kuladiha and undertake a camera-trap survey to ascertain their numbers if we find signs of leopards or tigers in the forest."
“While all India tiger estimation is done in every four years, Odisha government has decided to conduct tiger census every year in the State,” Chand added.
Not only in Kuldiha, the census exercise has started in all the five forest ranges of Balasore forest division with the help of more than 250 forest employees from 52 beat houses.
It is pertinent to mention here that the tiger census is already underway at Similipal Reserve in Mayurbhanj.
The census is being undertaken in three phases. In the first phase, a sign survey will be carried out till October 20. Following that the department will move on to a line-transect survey in the second phase. It will begin on October 25 and continue till October 28, 2023. The third and final phase of the census will be conducted through the camera trapping method. It will start on November 1 and conclude on November 25 this year, official sources said.
As Kuldiha forest borders Similipal reserve, tiger movements were also reported in Kuldiha in the past prompting the forest department to focus on tiger movements in the sanctuary in Balasore too.