To make the Kaimur Tiger Sanctuary tiger-friendly, Bihar will conduct a wildlife census.

 By PTI

Updated: jan 08, 2023 1:38 IST

The Bihar government has chosen to carry out an animal census there in an effort to make Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary (KWLS) tiger-friendly, a forest department official said. Three decades ago, tigers were discovered at KWLS, the state's largest sanctuary, but they are not there now. The state government wants the big cats to permanently occupy KWLS because they occasionally travel there from other woods in neighbouring states.

"As the initial stage in transforming the Kaimur Animal Sanctuary into a tiger-bearing setting, the wildlife census is essential. The activity would begin on January 15 and last for about four to five months "P K Gupta, the chief wildlife warden for Bihar, said PTI.

About 90 state environment department employees have already received training from the Wildlife Institute of India in preparation for the census in the sanctuary.

"They have received instruction in identifying species, using tools like compass in the field, monitoring tigers and related habitats, etc. To transform the sanctuary into a tiger-bearing setting, a census will be conducted to count the wild creatures there "said he.

There are significant populations of leopard, sloth bear, chital, sambar, wild pig, nilgai, "chowsingha" (four-horned antelope), and over 70 species of resident birds in the 1,504.96 square kilometre KWLS.

It's the ideal refuge to grow into a tiger-bearing terrain, according to Gupta.

The census will also reveal whether there is sufficient prey for tigers in the sanctuary.

"Records from the forest department show that tigers were present in KWLS until the middle of the 1990s. The primary habitats of the sanctuary became divided as a consequence of inadequate protection and disturbances brought on by humans, which led to the local extinction of tigers and the devastation of many other faunas "According to the head wildlife warden.

Tiger sightings resumed in Kaimur from 2016–17 as a result of the restoration of law and order in the area, and in the most recent incident in March 2020, a male tiger was seen in camera traps, according to Gupta.

According to Gupta, stepping stone forests in the Marihan, Sukrit, and Chunar ranges as well as wildlife sanctuaries in Ranipur (UP), Son Ghariyal, and Bagdhara (MP) are connected to KWLS through the Chandraprabha Wildlife Sanctuary in UP, which in turn has connections to the Sanjay Dubri Tiger Reserve and the Panna landscape in Madhya Pradesh.

A tiny, highly populated forest is known as a stepping stone forest.

Valmiki Tiger Reserve, the only tiger reserve in Bihar, is located in the West Champaran district.