Pench Reserve Begins Tiger Census to Address Escalating Man-Animal Conflicts
Nagpur, India: The Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR) has initiated a camera trap-based tiger census in its buffer zones to determine the current population of tigers, following a rise in man-animal conflicts. Recent tiger attacks have resulted in multiple human deaths, sparking fear among villagers and concern for the Forest Department.
The surge in tiger activity around human settlements has led to an increase in fatalities, with tigers venturing out of the reserve in search of new territories. Semi-adult tigers, in particular, are moving into buffer areas and territorial forests near Pench, Ramtek, and Parseoni, which has intensified the conflict. Over the past two months, several deaths have fueled anger and demands from locals for immediate action.
Villagers have urged the forest department to capture and relocate tigers straying near their villages and farmland. Responding to these concerns, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) directed officials to capture problem tigers. Special teams are now working to track and rescue these animals.
During their efforts, forest officials discovered that multiple tigers were responsible for the attacks, deepening the urgency to identify the exact number of tigers in conflict-prone areas. The focus of the current census is the Paoni buffer zone, which has become a hotspot for human-tiger encounters over the past year.
Dr. Prabhunath Shukla, Deputy Director of PTR, explained that while an annual tiger census is conducted with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), it only covers last year’s data. "Given the recent rise in tiger numbers and incidents, we’ve launched a separate camera trap-based census in the Paoni buffer to get up-to-date figures," said Dr. Shukla.
More than 150 camera traps have been placed in 1x1 km grids to gather detailed images of tigers in the buffer zone. This closer spacing of camera traps allows for a more accurate count. The census will take about two months to complete, after which thousands of photos will be analyzed to determine the tiger population in the area.
The findings from this census will help officials better manage the increasing human-tiger conflicts and develop strategies to ensure the safety of both tigers and local communities.
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