Lok Sabha Question No. 1799 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-07-27
Subject: Population of Tigers
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: NALIN KUMAR KATEEL, B.N. CHANDRAPPA, DODDAALAHALLI KEMPEGOWDA SURESH

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1799

TO BE ANSWERED ON 27.07.2018

## Population of Tigers

## 1799.  SHRI NALIN KUMAR KATEEL: SHRI B.N. CHANDRAPPA: SHRI D.K. SURESH:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) the  total  population  of  tigers  in  the  country  for  the  last  three  years  and  the  current  year, State/UT-wise;
- (b) whether  there  has  been  increase  in  number  of  incidents  of  killing  and  poaching  of  tigers reported in the recent years;
- (c) if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the Government has put any appropriate mechanism in place to check such incidents and save the tiger population in the country; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (DR. MAHESH SHARMA)

- (a) As  per  the  assessment  of  Status  of  Tigers,  Co-predators  and  Prey,  2014  using  the refined methodology, the tiger number in India is estimated at 2226 (range 1945-2491) as compared to 2010 estimate of 1706 (range 1520-1909 tigers).  The details of tiger estimation pertaining to tiger landscapes in the country for the years 2010 and 2014 are at Annexure-I . The population of tigers, reserve-wise, is at Annexure-II .
- (b) & (c) From 2012-17, 55% of tigers have died due to  natural causes,  7%  have  died  due  to unnatural  causes  not  attributable  to  poaching,  23%  have  died  due  to  poaching  while 15% have been tiger body part /derivate seizures.
- (d) & (e) The  Government  of  India,  through  Project  Tiger  /  National  Tiger  Conservation Authority, has taken a number of initiatives towards antipoaching operations, which, inter  alia, include creation of Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF), formulation of Security Plan guidelines which form part of the overarching Tiger Conservation Plan (TCP), development of a security audit framework, creation of an online wildlife crime database,  institutionalizing  android  application  based  patrolling  using  M-STrIPES (Management  System  for  Tigers,  Intensive  Protection  and  Ecological  Status)  for effective area domination and accountability, implementation of a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for dealing with tiger deaths, intensification of international cooperation  to  control  trans-boundary  illegal  trade  in  wildlife,  besides  financial assistance for antipoaching initiatives under the ongoing Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Project Tiger.

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1799 ON POPULATION OF TIGERS DUE FOR REPLY ON 27.07.2018

## Details of tiger estimation pertaining to tiger landscapes in the country, for the years 2010 and 2014

|                                                                      | Tiger Population   | Tiger Population   |                              |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------|--------------------|------------------------------|
| State                                                                | 2010               | 2014               | Increase / Decrease / Stable |
| Shivalik-Gangetic Plain Landscape Complex                            |                    |                    |                              |
| Uttarakhand                                                          | 227 (199-256)      | 340                | Increase                     |
| Uttar Pradesh                                                        | 118 (113-124)      | 117                | Stable                       |
| Bihar                                                                | 8 (-)              | 28                 | Increase                     |
| Shivalik Gangetic                                                    | 353 (320-388)      | 485 (427-543)      | Increase                     |
| Central Indian Landscape Complex and Eastern Ghats Landscape Complex |                    |                    |                              |
| Andhra Pradesh (including Telangana)                                 | 72 (65-79)         | 68                 | Stable                       |
| Chhattisgarh                                                         | 26 (24-27)         | 46                 | Increase                     |
| Madhya Pradesh                                                       | 257 (213-301)      | 308                | Increase                     |
| Maharashtra                                                          | 169 (155-183)      | 190                | Increase                     |
| Odisha                                                               | 32 (20-44)         | 28                 | Stable                       |
| Rajasthan                                                            | 36 (35-37)         | 45                 | Increase                     |
| Jharkhand                                                            | 10 (6-14)          | 3+                 | Decrease*                    |
| Central India                                                        | 601 (518-685)      | 688 (596-780)      | Increase                     |
| Western Ghats Landscape Complex                                      |                    |                    |                              |
| Karnataka                                                            | 300 (280-320)      | 406                | Increase                     |
| Kerala                                                               | 71 (67-75)         | 136                | Increase                     |
| Tamil Nadu                                                           | 163 (153-173)      | 229                | Increase                     |
| Goa                                                                  | -                  | 5                  | Increase                     |
| Western Ghats                                                        | 534 (500-568)      | 776 (685-861)      | Increase                     |
| North Eastern Hills and Brahmaputra Flood Plains                     |                    |                    |                              |
| Assam                                                                | 143 (113-173)      | 167                | Increase                     |
| Arunachal Pradesh                                                    | -                  | 28 ♣               | Increase                     |
| Mizoram                                                              | 5                  | 3+                 | Stable                       |
| North West Bengal                                                    | -                  | 3                  | **                           |
| North East Hills, and Brahmaputra                                    | 148 (118-178)      | 201 (174-212)      | Increase                     |
| Sunderbans                                                           | 70 (64-90)         | 76 (92-96)         | Stable                       |
| TOTAL                                                                | 1706 (1520-1909)   | 2226 (1945-2491)   | Increase                     |

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## ANNEXURE-II

## REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1799 ON POPULATION OF TIGERS DUE FOR REPLY ON 27.07.2018

## Population of tigers, reserve-wise, as per Status of Tigers, Co-predators and Prey in India, 2014

| Tiger Reserve              | State             |   Tiger Population |   Lower SE Limit |   Upper SE Limit |
|----------------------------|-------------------|--------------------|------------------|------------------|
| Achanakmar                 | Chhattisgarh      |                 11 |               10 |               12 |
| Anamalai                   | Tamil Nadu        |                 13 |               11 |               14 |
| Bandhavgarh                | Madhya Pradesh    |                 63 |               55 |               71 |
| Bandipur                   | Karnataka         |                120 |              107 |              134 |
| Bhadra                     | Karnataka         |                 22 |               20 |               25 |
| Biligiri Ranganatha Temple | Karnataka         |                 68 |               60 |               75 |
| Bor                        | Maharashtra       |                  5 |                3 |                6 |
| Buxa*                      | West Bengal       |                  2 |                2 |                2 |
| Corbett                    | Uttarakhand       |                215 |              169 |              261 |
| Dampa*                     | Mizoram           |                  3 |                3 |                3 |
| Dandeli-Anshi              | Karnataka         |                  5 |                3 |                6 |
| Dudhwa                     | Uttar Pradesh     |                 58 |               46 |               69 |
| Indravati                  | Chhattisgarh      |                 12 |               11 |               13 |
| Kalakad Mundanthurai       | Tamil Nadu        |                 10 |                9 |               11 |
| Kanha                      | Madhya Pradesh    |                 80 |               71 |               90 |
| Kaziranga                  | Assam             |                103 |               91 |              115 |
| Manas                      | Assam             |                 11 |                9 |               12 |
| Melghat                    | Maharashtra       |                 25 |               21 |               30 |
| Mudumalai                  | Tamil Nadu        |                 89 |               79 |               99 |
| Nagarahole                 | Karnataka         |                101 |               90 |              113 |
| Nagarjunasagar Srisailam   | Andhra Pradesh    |                 54 |               40 |               67 |
| Namdapha                   | Arunachal Pradesh |                 11 |                5 |               11 |
| Nameri                     | Assam             |                  5 |                4 |                5 |
| Nawegoan-Nagzira           | Maharashtra       |                  7 |                4 |               10 |
| Pakke                      | Arunachal Pradesh |                  7 |                6 |                8 |
| Palamau*                   | Jharkhand         |                  3 |                3 |                3 |
| Panna                      | Madhya Pradesh    |                 17 |               17 |               17 |
| Parambikulam               | Kerala            |                 19 |               17 |               21 |
| Pench                      | Madhya Pradesh    |                 43 |               36 |               49 |
| Pench                      | Maharashtra       |                 35 |               28 |               42 |
| Periyar                    | Kerala            |                 20 |               18 |               22 |
| Pilibhit                   | Uttar Pradesh     |                 25 |               19 |               30 |
| Ranthambhore               | Rajasthan         |                 37 |               30 |               41 |
| Sahyadri*                  | Maharashtra       |                  7 |                7 |                7 |
| Sanjay-Dubri               | Madhya Pradesh    |                  8 |                7 |               10 |
| Sariska                    | Rajasthan         |                  9 |                9 |                9 |
| Sathyamangalam             | Tamil Nadu        |                 72 |               64 |               80 |

| Satkosia        | Odisha         |    3 |    2 |    4 |
|-----------------|----------------|------|------|------|
| Satpura         | Madhya Pradesh |   26 |   22 |   30 |
| Similipal       | Odisha         |   17 |   14 |   19 |
| Sunderban       | West Bengal    |   68 |   57 |   86 |
| Tadoba-Andhari  | Maharashtra    |   51 |   44 |   58 |
| Udanti-Sitanadi | Chhattisgarh   |    4 |    3 |    4 |
| Valmiki         | Bihar          |   22 |   17 |   26 |
| Total           |                | 1586 | 1343 | 1820 |

*  Minimum number of tigers  recorded  through  scat  DNA,  in  these  cases  a  standard  error  on  their estimate was not possible.

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