A file picture of forest staff searching for tiger pugmarks during a census

Guwahati, Jan. 17: Assam wildlife authorities are hoping that the number of tigers in the state will register an increase when the census gets under way next month.

Officials said the number of tigers in the state in 2001 stood at 364 (in and outside the protected areas) and hoped that it would increase. This would drive home the point that Assam is a safe place for tiger conservation.

A source, however, said while ?there can be an increase in the number of tigers in the protected areas, there are doubts about places outside it?.

The main focus of the census, to be held from February 18 to 23, will be Kaziranga, Manas and Nameri national parks. They had 86, 65 and 26 tigers respectively at the last count.

Experts from Wildlife Institute of India have trained the staff of these reserves on the techniques to be used during the census.

?Camera traps?, said to be the most foolproof method of counting wildlife, will also be used. The equipment includes automatic cameras containing infrared devices that are activated by night. The cameras take photographs automatically whenever an animal passes by.

Sources said equal importance should be given to areas near the protected areas to know the threats to tiger conservation. Disappearance of the big cats from Sariska reserve in Rajasthan has put added pressure on Assam wildlife authorities to show that the state is still a safe place for tiger population.

?The situation appears good, but as survey has not been done for five years, one cannot say what will be the current state,? a source said.

A joint mission of Unesco and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), comprising Kishore Rao, the deputy director of Unesco World Heritage Centre, and David Sheppard, the head of the programme on protected areas of the IUCN, had visited the reserves in April 2005.

The team reported not having seen any direct or indirect sign of tigers during the mission. It said there had been isolated reports of tigers and that the staff of Panbari range (western section of the Manas tiger reserve) reported having seen two tigers in March 2005.

The team said insurgency appeared to have had a significant impact on the wildlife population of the parks ? particularly rhino, tiger and swamp deer. However, this requires verification through a baseline survey, which the Assam government has to complete by March 1, 2006.