All India Tiger Estimation 2026 survey completed in Telangana
The All India Tiger Estimation 2026 survey has been completed in Telangana, recording 994 pieces of evidence of tigers and other carnivores. Conducted between January 19 and 25 across 32 districts, the survey also documented 552 signs of mega herbivores.
Hyderabad: The All India Tiger Estimation 2026 tiger census survey has been successfully completed by the Forest department in the State and, as per preliminary statistics, 994 pieces of evidence pertaining to the presence of tigers and other carnivorous animals were found across Telangana.
The survey was conducted using scientific methods across the State for six days from January 19 to 25. Forest department officials said the exercise was completed in all beats of 32 districts, excluding Mulugu district due to the Samakka Saralamma Jathara festival.
During the survey, some unfortunate incidents were reported. A forest watcher died of a heart attack while on duty, one person was injured in a sloth bear attack and another volunteer suffered a fracture in the leg. Despite these challenges, forest staff and volunteers worked in coordination and completed the survey within the stipulated time.
As part of the exercise, a carnivore sign survey was conducted for over 15 kilometres and a transect survey of two kilometres per day was carried out to estimate the density of forest flora and prey animals. The information collected at the field level was recorded in the M STRIPES ecological app and uploaded to the Wildlife Institute of India remote server to enable detailed analysis, validation and reporting of the data in standard formats, a press release from the department said.
According to preliminary statistics, 994 pieces of evidence related to the presence of tigers and other carnivorous animals were found across the State. Officials also identified evidence of 552 mega herbivorous animals, while signs of other wild animals were recorded in large numbers.
Officials said that 4,512 Forest department personnel and 1,677 volunteers from across the country participated in the survey. The exercise revealed that the conservation measures being implemented by the Telangana Forest Department are yielding positive results, they claimed.
