Genetic study reveals eight tigers in Pakke

By dr. Fourkan Ali

The first genetic monitoring of tigers in Pakke reserve has recorded the presence of eight big cats.Guwahati-based wildlife NGO Aaranyak carried out the genetic monitoring activity at its wildlife genetics laboratory on the request of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).

“Successful completion of genetic monitoring of tigers in Pakke this year enabled us to obtain information on the presence of eight tigers in the reserve — three female and five male tigers,” the report said.

The last camera-trapping carried out as part of the phase-IV monitoring of tiger and prey population under Project Tiger in collaboration with the NTCA, Arunachal Pradesh forest department and WWF India from December 2012 to January 2013, had recorded six tigers.

Sources said the work provides first-hand genetic information on the tiger population, which can be used for long-term monitoring and also contribute to studies on demographic and genetic exchange of tigers in the landscape.
The Pakke reserve is bounded by a contiguous forest of Nameri tiger reserve in the south, the Kameng river in the north and west and the Pakke river in the east.

During the field survey in January and February this year, 175 carnivore scats were collected. Of this, 45 scats of tiger origin were identified. 

However, only 20 genuine tiger scats were taken for analysis, as the rest 25 scats showed ambiguous results possibly because of sample cross-contamination.

“There is scope of finding more tigers if the entire reserve is surveyed,” Tana Tapi, divisional forest officer of the Pakke tiger reserve, told The Telegraph.

The NTCA has made genetic monitoring mandatory in low-density tiger reserves, since camera trapping often tends to miss individuals in a low-density area.

Development activities, poaching and indiscriminate felling of trees leading to habitat loss are some of the prominent threats to Pakke, sources said.

The reserve has a great diversity of mammalian species with at least 40 species recorded. It is also rich in avifauna with 294 species.

Pakke was declared a tiger reserve in 2002 by the NTCA and is the 26th tiger reserve in the country. The NTCA has said since Pakke is adjacent to Nameri, joint monitoring work is essential for the tiger landscape.

Aaranyak has done genetic monitoring in five tiger reserves — Manas, Dampa, Namdapha, Buxa and Palamau. In Manas, 23 tigers were found, 15 and 19 tigers were found on two different occasions in Buxa, six in Palamau, two and one on different occasions in Namdapha and three and two on different occasions in Dampa.

The results of phase-IV monitoring of tiger and prey population of tiger reserves in the country, which will also include Pakke, will be revealed in February. The camera-trapping method was used for the study.