THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, Nov 23: An eight-day post-monsoon wildlife census began today in the Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR).
The wildlife in the PTR is counted twice a year with the monsoon as the dividing line.
The pre-monsoon wildlife census was conducted in the PTR from 22 May 2023 to 29 May 2023.
The census of the wildlife is done with ‘sign survey’ and ‘direct sighting’. The sign survey and direct sighting are applied to both the categories of wildlife – herbivores and carnivores.
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The sign survey is where the wildlife leaves behind either its footprints or trail of its movement like elephants love breaking bamboo plants and ejecting lots of dung, tigers leave scratch marks on the trees etc.
The direct sighting is where the wildlife is eye-sighted by the census team out in the jungles.
Interestingly it is wildlife census in the PTR but birds too are sighted, spotted and identified but not counted!
The major census is for the elephant, leopard, tiger, hyena, wild boar, wild bear, bison (gaur), deer, cheetal, golden jackal, jungle cat, wolf, hare, four-horned antelope, peafowl, red junglefowl, Indian fox, fishing cat, rhesus macaque (monkey), langur etc.
The Palamu Tiger Reserve is understood to have 169 varieties of birds and nearly a dozen bird species come here in severe winter from Tibet, Siberia etc.
Kumar Ashish, Deputy Director of the South Division of the PTR told this correspondent today, “Our PTR men are out on day one of this 8-day wildlife census today with one of the days as a reserved day. I have asked them to be vigilant and alert about signs and sightings.”
Deputy Director of the North Division of the PTR, P K Jena said, ” Our wildlife census team in the north division of the Palamu Tiger Reserve has no female forest guard this time. The north division has just two female forest guards. Incidentally, one of the two is on maternity leave while the other female forest guard is undergoing training in Ranchi.”
