The tiger count recorded during the nighttime is very satisfactory. The tigers in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur and Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) are reportedly the ‘main source of tiger population’. Huge and enormous tigers have been migrating through vast ‘corridors’.
Their ‘gene flow’ is improving and increasing the number of healthy tigers at a very fast pace. The Human-Animal conflict is observed to be rising at the TATR due to the increase in the tiger population. It is also alleged that the tigers and the leopards at the reserve are feeding upon the domestic animals and have become cannibals.
In order to find out more about tigers and leopards, the TATR has been conducting research in a very innovative way for the past two years. They conduct the research mainly by looking at the faeces of the tigers and leopards including carnivores through a microscope to check for any animal hair or other elements. The results of this study were not accurate, it had many limitations.
An expert from ‘National Centre for Biological Sciences’, Bangalore has started the ‘DNA Metabar Coding Method’. The results of these tests are turning out to be more accurate. Through this ‘DNA’ is extracted from the faeces of wild animals and the information of which animal it belongs to is collected.
In the case of herbivorous animals, in a slightly different way, but using the same technology, it is also starting to be known what kind of grass they consume.
Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve is vast and is connected to National Parks, Sanctuaries and other protected forests through corridors resulting in a good gene flow. The research will be beneficial for the enhanced survival of wildlife.