Black Panther Tiger Census: Odisha Forest Department has commenced the census of Black Panther tigers in Dhenkanal district using trap cameras. According to departmental sources, the region is expected to have a higher population of Black Panther tigers compared to previous counts.
In the last census, there were 12 to 13 Black Panther tigers, whereas the count before that indicated only 7. Given the increasing tiger population, such measures have been implemented.
To facilitate the census, 40 trap cameras have already been installed in various protected forests of the district, with plans to install 10 more cameras.
The census is being carried out in forests suspected to have a higher tiger population, including the protected forests of Kandhara, Kanaka, and Koi in the Hindol Range, and the Anantapur protected forest in Kamakhyanagar’s eastern and western ranges, among others.
Sumit Kumar Kar, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of the district, stated that based on previous surveys, Dhenkanal is believed to have a significant number of Black Panther tigers. Hence, the census has been reinitiated using trap cameras. The exact number of Black Panther tigers in the district will be known after January 15.
