Pathanamathitta: The Pathanamthitta district in Kerala had earlier hit the headlines with the distinction of having clean air and bountiful pure drinking water and groundwater resources, but now there is another feather in its cap. More tigers were spotted in the region than in the neighbouring districts of the state in the latest national tiger census.
As many as 10 tigers were spotted roaming the Ranni and Konni forest divisions of the district. This is in addition to the 25 tigers of the Periyar tiger reserve in the eastern region of the district.
The number of tigers, which are territorial by nature and cover an area of 20 to 30 km of land, can only increase as the big cats will be roaming in and out of the forest area, the researchers said.
The presence of tiger is unlikely in the neighbouring Kottayam district. Two tigers were found in the Achankovil division of the Kollam district.
There are 5 tigers at the Kulathupuzha Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary in the Kollam district.
Pathanamthitta district has around 50 to 65 percent forest cover and this is 75 percent in Idukki district.It is behind Wayanad and Idukki when it comes to maximum area under forest in the state.
As per the Forest Department’s records of 2016, Ranni division has 186 elephants and Konni 43 elephants.
The All India Tiger Estimation Report 2018, released in New Delhi on Monday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, revealed that Madhya Pradesh was home to 526 tigers, the highest in any state, the PTI had reported earlier this week.
The Central Indian state, home to nearly half a dozen tiger reserves, had the largest number of striped animals as per the 2006 census too. But it slipped to No. 2 position in 2010, when Karnataka emerged as the "tiger state". It further slid to No. 3 after Uttarakhand and Karnataka maintaining the lead in 2014 as well in terms of population of the majestic beasts.
The tiger population in the country has increased from 2,226 in 2014 to 2,967 in 2018, according to the report. Karnataka is a close second with 524 tigers, followed by Uttarakhand with 442.
