Rumours spread like wildfire in bangalore on eve of tiger count results
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Wild officials on Sunday likened the rumours doing the rounds on tiger population to pre-budget speculations meant to confuse and misguide people. Wild officials on Sunday likened the
rumours doing the rounds on tiger population to pre-budget speculations meant to confuse and misguide people. A central government official, who requested anonymity, expressed suspicion that
the rumours were being spread to get more wildlife welfare grants. India’s tiger census report would be made public on Monday. Rumours pegged the tiger population in the country at 1,551,
creating confusion among conservationists and officials. Scientist for Project Tiger in Wildlife Institute of India YV Jhala said rumours have been circulated even before the actual report
was prepared. The final report, completed two days ago, is now with the prime minister and the minister for environment. Meanwhile, it has been learnt that senior forest officials from the
state would be travelling to New Delhi for a meeting with the Central government officers once the report is published. The meeting would set the Project Tiger agenda. BK Singh, principal
chief conservator of forests (wildlife) in the state, said the meeting would discuss conservation measures needed to be chalked out for the future, and also steps required to ensure a
healthy prey population and habitat for the carnivores. According to the previous census, the country had a tiger population of 1,411 with a 17.43% coefficient of variation. The lower and
upper limit was stated to be 1,165 and 1,657, respectively. About 31,111 sq km has been notified as tiger habitat. The previous census found that Karnataka, on an average, had 290 tigers, 10
less than Madhya Pradesh. The state had a forest cover of 40,236 sq km, with tigers occupying 18,715 sq km in three tiger constituted areas: 190 big cats in Nagarhole-Madhumalai-Wynad patch
of forest spread across 10,800 sq km; 58 in Kudremukh-Bhadra patch covering 7,054 sq km; and 33 tigers in the 7,309 sq km Sharavathi Valley-Dandeli-Khanapur belt.