File picture of a Royal Bengal tiger in the Similipal Tiger Reserve

Baripada, Sept. 9: The Similipal Tiger Reserve has at least 25 big cats, according to the authorities’ latest report.

There were widespread apprehensions about the declining tiger population in the reserve forest. But, the authorities have spotted 25 tigers through surveillance cameras and other marks, bringing a sense of relief with regard to the big cat population.

The number could be more, said an official.

The authorities said the number could be more as the figure was obtained from the photographs. There are 128 surveillance cameras installed in the forest spread over 400sqkm.

Field director of the tiger reserve Anup Kumar Nayak said: “The core area of the Similipal Tiger Reserve is 1,195sqkm. But, 400sqkm is adjudged as the critical core area. In this 400sqkm area, the cameras have spotted 25 tigers, including the melanistic ones. The population of black tiger could be around 10 per cent.”

“We can claim that the forest has at least 25 Royal Bengal tigers. This has been possible as the habitat has improved and the prey population in the forest has gone up. Earlier, the prey population was eight to 10 per square kilometre. But now, it is about 24. This 400sqkm has been made an absolutely inviolate patch,” he said.

“There are still three villages inside the notified core areas of the tiger reserve. These are Kabataghai, Bakua and Jamuna. Jamuna village is situated in the critical 400sqkm zone. Despite our best of efforts, we have not been able to shift them,” Nayak said.

The population survey is being made on direct sighting, scars on tree, excreta and using the pug impression pad, besides the camera-trap method. The census exercise also notes the population of preys besides the predators existing in various forest ranges in the core area of the tiger reserve.

In 2006, it was estimated that the reserve forest, one of the major tourist attractions in the state, had 101 tigers.

But, in 2010, when the census was carried out with participation of the National Tiger Conservation Authority and the Wildlife Institute of India, the tiger population was estimated to be between 23 and 33.

The upper and lower number was assessed by the central agencies basing on direct sighting and camera capture, apart from prey population in the reserve forest and its buffer regions.