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[Rishi]

Big cats make a strong comeback in Manas

SIVASISH THAKUR

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 GUWAHATI, May 7 - The big cat has made a strong comeback in Manas National Park, with the just-concluded tiger census recording 30 tigers – more than double the figure of the last census.
This also marks the biggest ever tiger population in Manas after one-and-a-half decades of social unrest beginning in 1989 had pushed it to the brink. Conservationists believe that the news is a huge boost to conservation initiatives in Manas that has been on a recovery path after regaining the World Heritage Site status.
Last year’s census had yielded the presence of 14 tigers in Manas, and conservationists have termed this increase of 16 tigers as ‘significant’ and something that augurs well for the premier national park’s long-term well-being.
“The latest tiger estimation done through camera-trapping has recorded 30 individuals, 24 of those being adults. The adult male-female break-up is 12-11, while the sex of one could not be determined,” Hiranya Sharma, Field Director of Manas Tiger Reserve told The Assam Tribune.
Sharma added that last year’s census had left out the Panbari Range due to logistics constraints. “This time we covered the entire Manas landscape (in India) and are happy to have camera-trapped 30 tigers. The increase in tiger numbers is significant and a shot in the arm for Manas’ long-term conservation prospects,” he said.
Conservationist Dr Bibhuti Lahkar of Aaranyak, who has a two-decade association with Manas, termed the development as ‘extremely positive’ for the park but added in the same breath that the authorities needed to ensure that the habitat and prey base for the tiger were kept intact.
“It’s big news that the tiger population has made a strong comeback in Manas. It shows that despite the prolonged social unrest, Manas is well into the recovery mode. Now the need is to protect the habitat and reclaim lost habitat as well. The growing number of tiger makes it imperative to have a healthy prey base,” he said, adding that grassland management in Manas also required urgent attention of the authorities.
Last year, the census which was part of a trans-boundary (Manas National Park and Royal Manas National Park of Bhutan) survey, recorded 21 tigers of which 11 were from Royal Manas National Park and 14 from Manas National Park. Four tigers were common to both the landscapes. The first survey to monitor big cats across the Trans-boundary Manas Conservation Area (TraMCA) in 2011-12 had counted just 14 big cats in the entire Manas landscape.
Manas National Park today extends to an area of 870 sq km, following the recent addition of another 350 sq km area. A World Heritage Site, it shelters the maximum number (22) of endangered species of the country. Reply