The tiger census report eludes West Bengal even as the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) recently announced the census reports of six states in the country. Reason: WII has failed to devise a methodology to conduct a tiger count in the Sunderbans, citing the “peculiar nature” of the mangrove forests. WII, however, has declared that it will release full national figures by the end of this year. In fact, the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) authorities said even a preliminary estimate of the population of the tigers was not possible unless it completes the next phase of the survey. “The methodology adopted in the entire country will not succeed in Sunderbans because of its peculiar nature,” said PR Sinha, Director, WII. For instance, survey teams had to travel along the riverbanks on boats due to the difficult terrain of the mangrove forests. In contrast, staff make their way along the transit line in other forest areas. Now, the WII authorities are waiting to initiate the next phase of the census in the Sunderbans. Unlike other forests in India, the big cats in the Sunderbans will have to be fitted with radio collars in the next phase of the tiger count. “But the tide makes it difficult to undertake this study. We will have to wait for another two months before we can undertake the radio collaring process,” Sinha told The Indian Express. As of now, the WII has collected the distribution data of tigers and the prey base, but that is not enough to determine the range of tiger population in the Sunderbans. The next phases of the census also remains pending in the forests of North Bengal, and it will be at least another two months before the next phases are undertaken in the Buxa Tiger Reserve or the Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary. “On our part, we have given all the data to the WII. Now it is upto them to analyse it and begin the next phase of the tiger census,” said a senior official of the state forest department.
