India's tiger count falls by half

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New Delhi: From 3,000 in 2002, India's tiger population is down to 1,500 in the last count. That is, if government figures are to be believed.

While the figures are based on government data, the exact number of tigers has always been a subject of much debate in India. For years now, it continues to be the best-kept secret of the Environment Ministry.

According to data available with CNN-IBN, India's tiger population is down by a half in just four years. With the tiger population graph on a downward curve, Project Tiger has come to a point where it was first started 30 years back.

Ten tiger reserves -- including Simplipal, Indrawati and Dudhwa -- have reported a drop in tiger count in the latest census, highlighting a new crisis in India's efforts to preserve its tigers.

The government is likely to declare the results of the lastest census only next year. "What we have heard is that only 1,500 tigers are left. How are they saying it?" Dr Raghu Chundawat, tiger Scientist, asks.

Meanwhile, the method of tiger count itself continues to remain a controversial issue. The Environment Ministry, in an effort to avoid false reporting, has changed the entire system of tiger count from this year.

Called the 'Framework for estimation of tiger populations of India', the job of tiger census is now in the hands of India's premier research body, the Wildlife Institute of India.

"We have used a new method this year. We have to get away from this method of counting tigers," says Dr Y Jhala, a scientist at the Wildlife Institute of India.

Under the new method being used, estimates of not just tigers but also their prey base -- which includes ungulates such as deer and chinkara -- are also made.

But the new method is not without problems. A report of the World Conservation Union, which is available exclusively with CNN-IBN, points out serious problems in this new methodology.

Based on an assessment made by WCU, the report states that the exact number of tigers cannot be deduced on the basis of the presence and absence data as it can lead to over-reporting. Also, this process of tiger count ignores poaching, the report points out.

The new method has also reported tigers from non-forest areas, which may be false data, the world conservation body says, adding that the new method does not take into account tiger deaths or poaching which is one of the major threats to the species in India.

Tiger is present only in 7 per cent of India's total geographical area. As its numbers crash, it is clear that the tiger has not only become India's most endangered but also perhaps the most controversial cat. If urgent steps are not taken, scientists say it may be gone within the next decade.

Wildlife conservationists say the government is not willing to acknowledge the real problem. The new methodology is a mere eyewash, they claim.

Financial plans for tiger reserves for the state of Madhya Pradesh, which are now available with CNN-IBN, show that 60-80% of the funds meant for various anti-poaching measures are being spent on the construction of bridges, roads and culverts with only a small share going towards the actual purpose.

"On what basis did they arrive at these figures? Why are they not focusing on reducing poaching? Today, the department is not more than a civil engineering department," says Dr Raghu Chundawat.