Lok Sabha Question No. 452 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-04-26
Subject: Census of Animals
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: JAGDAMBIKA PAL

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.452

TO BE ANSWERED ON  26.04.2016

## Census of Animals

## 452. SHRI JAGDAMBIKA PAL:

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

- (a) whether any animal census has been conducted by the Government in order to estimate their population in the country and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the census is limited to certain wild animals only and if so, the reasons therefor;
- (c) the details of the criteria adopted by the Government to select animals for census; and
- (d) the  manner  in  which  the  population  of  wild  animals  is  estimated  in  the  absence  of specific census?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## (SHRI PRAKASH JAVADEKAR)

- (a), (b) and (c)

Wild animal census of iconic species like Tiger, Elephant, Rhino and Lions are  carried  out  by  the  respective  State/UT  Governments. However, at the national  level,  Tiger  census  is  carried  out  periodically.  As  per  the  latest census, the estimated population of tiger, elephant, lion and rhinoceros as received from the States is given in the Annexure.

Tiger  census  is  conducted  nationally  as  the  Central  Government  has undertaken  Tiger  conservation  as  a  national  flagship  programme  and  the National  Tiger  Conservation  Authority  has  been  established  for  focused tiger conservation initiatives.

- (d) Depending on specific animals, the observation on population density are made based on the habit and habitat of various animals. Population trends are assessed based on observation of frequency of sightings, herd sizes and occurrence of indirect evidences such as, kills, droppings, foot marks etc.

## ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (a),  (b)  AND  (c)  OF  THE  LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO 452 REGARDING 'CENSUS OF ANIMALS' BY SHRI JAGDAMBIKA PAL DUE FOR REPLY ON 26.04.2016.

## Estimated landscape level  population of tiger

| Name of State                                                        | Tiger population   |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------|
| Shivalik-Gangetic Plain Landscape complex                            |                    |
| Uttarakhand                                                          | 340                |
| Uttar Pradesh                                                        | 117                |
| Bihar                                                                | 28                 |
| Shivalik-Gangetic                                                    | 485(427-543)       |
| Central Indian Landscape Complex and Eastern Ghats Landscape Complex |                    |
| Andhra Pradesh (including Telangana)                                 | 68                 |
| Chhattisgarh                                                         | 46                 |
| Madhya Pradesh                                                       | 308                |
| Maharashtra                                                          | 190                |
| Odisha                                                               | 28                 |
| Rajasthan                                                            | 45                 |
| Jharkhand**                                                          | 3 +                |
| Central India                                                        | 688(596-780)       |
| Western Ghats Landscape Complex                                      |                    |
| Karnataka                                                            | 406                |
| Kerala                                                               | 136                |
| Tamil Nadu                                                           | 229                |
| Goa                                                                  | 5                  |
| Western Ghats                                                        | 776 (685-861)      |
| North Eastern Hills and Brahmaputra Flood Plains                     |                    |
| Assam                                                                | 167                |
| Arunachal Pradesh                                                    | 28*                |
| Mizoram                                                              | 3+                 |
| North West Bengal                                                    | 3                  |
| North East Hills and Brahmaputra                                     | 201(174-212)       |
| Sunderbans                                                           | 76(92-96)          |
| TOTAL                                                                | 2226(1945-2491     |

## Estimated Population of Rhinoceros  as reported by State

| Name of the State   | No. of Rhinoceros (year of census)   |
|---------------------|--------------------------------------|
| Assam               | 2505 (2012)                          |
| Uttar Pradesh       | 30                                   |
| West Bengal         | 229 (2013)                           |

## Estimated Population of Lion as reported by the state Government of Gujarat

| Name of state   | Population of Lion   |
|-----------------|----------------------|
| Gujarat         | 523 (2015)           |

## Population of wild elephants as reported by State

| Sl. No.   | States Elephant population   | 2012          |
|-----------|------------------------------|---------------|
|           | Arunachal Pradesh            | 890           |
|           | Assam                        | 5620          |
|           | Meghalaya                    | 1811 *        |
|           | Nagaland                     | 212           |
|           | Tripura                      | 59            |
|           | West Bengal                  | 647           |
|           | Jharkhand                    | 688           |
|           | Orissa                       | 1930          |
|           | Chhattisgarh                 | 247           |
|           | Uttarakhand                  | 1346 *        |
|           | Uttar Pradesh                | 291           |
|           | Tamil Nadu                   | 4015          |
|           | Karnataka                    | 5648-6488     |
|           | Kerala                       | 5942-6422     |
|           | Andhra Pradesh               | 41            |
|           | Maharashtra                  | 4             |
|           |                              | 29391 - 30711 |