25 Nov 2020


Nagpur: Even though a series of tiger deaths due to electrocution in the last one month has come as a shock, the ‘Status of tigers and leopards in Maharashtra’ in 2020 during Phase IV monitoring has estimated 331 tigers and 669 leopards. The number of tigers may be over 350 and leopards over 700, say wildlife officials.

As per the All India Tiger Estimation (AITE)-2018 final report released on Global Tiger Day on July 29, 2020, tiger reserves, national parks, and wildlife sanctuaries in Maharashtra recorded 312 tigers, with 270-354 lower and upper limit, respectively. The AITE is conducted every four years and in 2014, the report had put the number of tigers at 190.

However, talking to TOI, PCCF (wildlife) Nitin H Kakodkar said, “Our independent estimation with the involvement of Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has recorded 331 tigers in Phase IV. The number will be 350-plus as due to Covid-19, the exercise was not conducted in tiger-bearing areas outside protected areas (PAs) under Nagpur circle comprising Bhandara, Nagpur, Wardha & Gondia, besides Jalgaon in Dhule circle. It was also not done in Sahyadri Tiger Reserve in Western Maharashtra.”

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