Tiger census to start in January amid growing man-animal conflict
Bengaluru: In response to increasing incidents of man-animal conflict, particularly tiger capture and relocation operations in key tiger reserves, the Karnataka Forest Department is reportedly preparing for the upcoming all-India tiger census. The exercise is set to begin in January 2026, with staffers already undergoing training.
“The tiger estimation exercise will be done in the first week of January. The dates are yet to be finalised. The exercise will first be done in Project Tiger areas and then in other forest patches. Training for Bengaluru Circle has been completed,” The New Indian Express quoted PC Rai, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), as saying.
The census will unfold in three phases: Phase-1 will gather data on carnivore and prey base density, Phase-2 will involve field reports, and Phase-3 will focus on camera trap data. The final all-India tiger estimation report is expected to be released in April 2026.
Initially, Karnataka was set to begin its annual tiger estimation exercise by the end of November and complete it by mid-December. However, due to delays in staff training, the exercise was postponed. “All tiger states have been directed to follow one calendar for the estimation, to avoid confusion and duplication in the Monitoring Systems for Tigers -- Intensive Protection and Ecological Status (M-Str-IPES) portal and mobile app,” TNIE quoted an official from the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change as saying.
The all-India tiger estimation report, prepared by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Wildlife Institute of India, indicated an overall increase in tiger numbers in Karnataka. From 300 tigers in 2010, the state’s population grew to 406 in 2014, 524 in 2018, and 563 in 2022. With 785 tigers, Karnataka ranks second in the country, following Madhya Pradesh, in terms of tiger population.
The all-India estimation, cited by the newspaper, further showed that the Central and Eastern Ghats landscape housed 1,439 tigers, while the Western Ghats landscape housed 1,087 big cats.
Despite the rise in tiger numbers, officials have raised concerns about the increasing man-animal conflicts, particularly in areas with high tiger densities.
A senior official, quoted by TNIE, highlighted that forest cover in the state is shrinking, putting additional pressure on the land and wildlife. “Bandipur and Nagarahole tiger reserves house tigers beyond their carrying capacity, thus conflict is increasing. We have now adopted relocation to newer, safer habitats policy,” the official added.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
