Tiger census to be conducted in Gorumara & Chapramari forests
Jalpaiguri: Although tigers were believed to have disappeared from Gorumara National Park decades ago, and there is currently no confirmed presence, a comprehensive tiger census will be conducted in the park as well as the Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary later this month as part of the national tiger monitoring programme. Training of forest personnel for the exercise has already begun.
A joint tiger census will be carried out on January 18 or 20 by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and the Forest department. The survey in Neora Valley National Park will commence in February, once winter conditions subside.
According to Forest department sources, the census will be conducted using trap cameras following the polygon method, along with scientific examination of pugmarks, claw marks on trees and scat samples. Forest staff in Gorumara and Chapramari have already received specialised training for the operation. Tigers were last sighted in Gorumara in the 1980s and remained absent for nearly three decades until a tigress with cubs was spotted in 2009, an event that generated significant interest among conservationists. However, no confirmed tiger presence has been recorded in recent years. The 2024 tiger census report recorded the presence of one tiger in the Buxa Tiger Reserve, but did not confirm tiger presence in Neora Valley, despite multiple sightings captured on mobile phones and trap cameras and the recovery of scat samples since 2017.
Gorumara Wildlife Division DFO Dwija Pratim Sen said that the division has recently become a member of the Global Tiger Forum, which generally includes wildlife divisions with tiger presence. “Evidence such as tiger photographs, claw marks and scat samples from Neora Valley was shared with the Wildlife Institute of India. The census will begin first in Gorumara and Chapramari, followed by Neora Valley in February,” he said.
For the census, 80 trap cameras have already been installed in Neora Valley’s hilly forests, with 45 more to be added by the end of January. In Gorumara and Chapramari, the installation of 60 cameras is underway. Around 200 surveyors will be engaged in Neora Valley, while approximately 250 personnel will participate in Gorumara and Chapramari. Once activated, the cameras will remain operational for 45 days, after which the data will be analysed at WII’s laboratory.
Meanwhile, a tea garden worker, Atia Oraon (42), was killed and two others — Madan Majhi and Bablu Oraon — were seriously injured in a wild boar attack in Rajganj block’s Shikarpur area in Jalpaiguri. Officials said compensation would be provided to the affected families as per norms.
