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    Forest officials spot 32 new big cats in Uttarakhand

    NAINITAL: Uttarakhand forest department officials have spotted 32 tigers in the Terai-East division of Kumaon for the first time, giving conservationists a reason to rejoice.

    The 32 tigers identified on camera traps, whose existence was hitherto unknown, will boost the number of the striped beasts in the state. According to the forest department, these big cats were not part of the tiger census in 2015, which pegged their number in Uttarakhand at 340, second to Karnataka which had 406.

    Talking to TOI, Parag Madhukar Dhakate, divisional forest officer (Terai-East division), said, “It is the for the first time that these 32 tigers have been identified in this division.We have clear evidence of this through camera traps installed in the area.“ Dhakate also said that the discovery would lead to a jump in the estimated tiger numbers in the state.

    “The census data in 2015 counted tigers present in the national parks and protected areas in Uttarakhand. Many other forest areas like Terai-East,Terai-West and Terai-Central were not included,“ he added. The department will now conduct a fresh census to accommodate the newly found members.

    Officials have attributed the thriving population of tigers in the state to years of conservation efforts, anti-poaching measures and creation of artificial water bodies.


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