Tiger Census: Advanced Methods Replace Pugmarks for Accurate Counting

• Tiger census is conducted every four years in India by NTCA and WII, known as the All India Tiger Estimation, the world's largest wildlife survey.
• The outdated pugmark method (1970-2000) was inaccurate and replaced after 2005 due to issues like multiple counting and vanished tigers.
• The modern process involves three phases: field data collection (foot surveys, M-STrIPES app), landscape mapping (remote sensing), and intensive camera trapping.
• Phase 3, camera trapping, uses thousands of motion-sensitive cameras to capture unique stripe patterns, creating individual IDs for population estimation.
• The 2022 census estimated an average of 3,682 tigers, showing a 6% annual increase, with Madhya Pradesh having the highest count (785).

Why It Matters: Modern technology and a three-phase process ensure accurate tiger population estimates, replacing outdated methods.