Nilgiri Tahr census concludes successfully in Tamil Nadu

Chennai: The first ever Nilgiri Tahr Synchronized Survey has been successfully concluded by the state of Tamil Nadu.

“The Nilgiri Tahr habitat of Tamil Nadu is divided into 13 forest divisions, 100 forest beats and 140 blocks for synchronised survey. More than 700 field staff will be involved in the survey from April 29 to May 1,” Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary, Environment, Climate Change and Forest, posted on ‘X’.

“Debriefing and data collection is going on by the Project Team. Thankful to the experts from IUCN, WII and WWF for their wholehearted support and collaboration. A big shout out to the team members including forest staff, researchers, experts, & volunteers.Gratitude to Forest Department, Govt of Kerala. Survey Data is likely to be available in three weeks from no” she added.

The synchronised survey will also cover the Eravikulam and the Silent Valley National Parks of Kerala that are contiguous with the tahr habitats in Tamil Nadu.

The project involves nine components including a biennial synchronised survey across divisions; disease and diagnosis of lump affected individuals; and ecotourism

The three-day exercise was carried out by the Tamil Nadu Forest Department in collaboration with Kerala Forest Department, Wildlife Institute of India, WWF-India and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Nilgiri Tahr is an endangered species endemic to the Western Ghats, to protect them Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on October 12, 2023 launched the ‘Project Nilgiri Tahr’, with total outlay of Rs 25 crore.

The project aims to develop a better understanding of Nilgiri Tahr population, distribution and ecology, re-introduction of Nilgiri Tahr to their historic habitats, addressing proximate threat to Nilgiri Tahr, increasing awareness among the public about the Nilgiri Tahr species, developing eco-tourism activities at selected sites, among others.

Nilgiri Tahr is an endangered species endemic to the Western Ghats known for their “gravity-defying skills” in climbing steep cliff, it said. There are multiple references to Nilgiri Tahr in the Sangam Tamil literature. Two epics — Silappathikaram and Sivakasindamani — mention descriptions of the Nilgiri Tahr and its habitat