Nilgiri tahr population on the rise at Eravikulam

Radhakrishnan Kuttoor
PATHANAMTHITTA,  
The Hindu, August 11, 2014 

The population of Nilgiri tahr, the only mountain goat in south India, at the Eravikulam national park in Munnar is on the rise.

G. Harikumar, Chief Wildlife Warden, and G. Prasad, Wildlife Warden in Munnar, told The Hindu that the annual census conducted by the department, along with certain non-governmental organisations, from April 21 to 28 had put Eravikulam’s tahr population at 894. The figure was 879 last year.

Mr. Prasad said the census was carried out by the Munnar Wildlife Division of the Forest Department. The counting was done using Bounded Counts, a statistic tool developed in 1984 by Rajan Varghese, chief co-ordinator of the census. This method necessitated simultaneous scanning and survey of 13 blocks, based on identified tahr home ranges, repeatedly for five days by various teams comprising volunteers, forest officials, and expert Muduvan trackers, said Mr. Prasad.

The NGOs that participated in the census include Munnar Environment and Wildlife Society, Green Cap Nature Club at Chalakudy, National Green Corps, UPASI Tea Research Institute, and the High Range Wildlife and Environment Preservation Association in Munnar.

Besides Mr. Prasad, P.O. Nameer attached to the Department of Wildlife at the College of Forestry; Mohan Alambath and James Zacharias, both former Wildlife Wardens at Munnar, and Mohan Varghese, general manager of Kannan Devan Hill Products in Munnar, trained volunteers and investigators of the tahr census.

Geographical Positioning System (GPS) was used for the first time in data collection, eliminating error to a great extent. Mr. Rajan Varghese, and M.P. Sanjayan, assistant wildlife warden at the Eravikulam national park, checked the data provided by various census teams.

Mr. Prasad said separate teams were deployed in five new locations of Meeshappuli-Mala, Kundala, Edalimottappara, Kambakkallu and Mangappara to enumerate tahr population there.

He said future efforts for the tahr census would be made under the guidance of the Chief Wildlife Warden in Thiruvananthapuram, the Field Director (Project Tiger) in Kottayam, and the Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Olavakode.