Kaziranga boasts of world’s highest tiger density

GUWAHATI - The famed Kaziranga National Park in Assam has the highest density of tigers in the world at 32 per 100 sq km, surpassing the Corbett National Park’s record, it was announced Thursday.

“I am proud to state that Kaziranga National Park has the highest density of tigers compared to any known tiger habitats in the world,” Assam Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain told journalists quoting a report conducted over three months by a team of experts.

The study was conducted by Aaranyak, a society for biodiversity conservation in the northeast, and the Assam Forest department, using the ‘camera trap’ method of tiger estimation.

“The study carried between January and March 2009 covered an area of 144 sq km and revealed there are 32 tigers per 100 sq km area of the park,” the minister said.

The 430 sq km park, 220 km east of Assam’s main city Guwahati, is home to the world’s largest concentration of the one-horned rhinoceros.

As per the 2009 census report, 2,048 of the world’s estimated 3,000 one-horned rhinos lumber around the swamps and grasslands of Kaziranga, their concentration here ironically making the giant mammals a favourite target of poachers.

“In all, 39 individual tigers, including a one-year-old cub, were photographed during the photo-trapping exercise, although using a scientific method called capture recapture, it is estimated there are 47 tigers in the study area of 144 sq km,” Hussain said.

Corbett National Park earlier held the record for the highest density of the big cats at 19.6 tigers per 100 sq km.

The study was funded by the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation and the Rufford Small Grants Foundation, Britain.

“Adequate conservation measures by dedicated team have helped Kaziranga achieve such a milestone,” the minister said.