WCD: The wildlife conservation division will conduct the first nationwide tiger survey next month, making Bhutan the fourth country to conduct such a survey using camera traps. Studies done in the past were limited to specific locations, which did not give the whole picture of the big cat’s presence in the country, said wildlife conservation officials. Having surveyed only from 1996 to 1998, the division’s chief, Sonam Wangchuk, said, until now no study has been conducted to find the precise numbers of tigers existing in the country. “It’s a long gap since the information has been updated,” he said. The studies done in past were based on questionnaires and evidences collected from the paw marks. “So it has become important to revalidate the status of tiger in the country,” Sonam Wangchuk said. “We have to cross check with the old data, although logically the numbers should have increased.” But this time the survey will be completely done through camera trappings and is expected to continue until the end of 2014. Titled, the “National Tiger survey of Bhutan, 2014,” the survey, forest officer Sangay Dorji said, is a must. This is because, Sangay Dorji said, during a presentation on the survey plan at the third forestry conference in Samtse yesterday, that it was committed in one of the conventions held in 2010 in Saint Petersburg, Russia that the population of tigers in Asian countries should double by the year 2022. Sangay Dorji said, as per the studies done in the past, a total of 80 to 240 tigers were believed to be in Bhutan before 1998. While another study showed, there were 115 to 150 tigers, with 67 to 81 breeding adults after 1998. The 1998 survey was based on the sign survey. “We don’t know if we can double the tiger number,” he said. “But it’s important to maintain the current population.” He said the survey is expected to assist in revising the tiger action plan, as well as to understand the state of habit and population trend of tigers in Bhutan and status of tiger’s wild prey. “The survey will also assist us to find out where the tigers are absent or decreasing and why.” The division chief, Sonam Wangchuk, said the survey is crucial to establish a reliable database on the population of tigers in the country as per the eco system. He explained the survey would be conducted in three different stages of planning, sign survey and camera trapping. About 500 pairs of infrared ray cameras will be used to conduct the survey. “The camera traps will be left open in the field for two months and monitored fortnightly or monthly,” he said. He said the survey might not be able to capture the whole population, but the team would set a target. As of now, he said, about 30 tigers are present in Manas park, which is an overwhelming figure. The WWF and Bhutan Trust Fund has already committed to fund the survey, but the division will have to still look for additional sources of finance through other projects. “I’s estimated that the whole survey would cost more than USD 450M.” (Source : kuenselonline) By Yangchen C Rinzin, Samtse Additional reporting by Sonam Deki