THE GOAN NETWORK
PANAJI
After successfully completing the first phase of the nationwide tiger census in April-May, the State Forest Department is preparing to launch the crucial third phase of the exercise involving AI-enabled camera trapping to monitor wildlife movement. The exercise is expected to commence post-monsoon, tentatively in October.
The All India Tiger Estimation (AITE) 2026, regarded as the country's most extensive wildlife census, follows a three-stage methodology that combines ground surveys, satellite technology and artificial intelligence-based camera trapping.
Forest Department sources said the first phase, carried out during April and May, involved extensive field surveys wherein teams documented indirect evidence of tiger presence, including pugmarks, claw and scratch marks, scat samples and prey remains. Officials also mapped vegetation density and recorded human activities within forest areas.
"The online data of the first phase has been submitted to the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)," sources said.
The second phase involves satellite integration and remote sensing to assess forest cover, terrain characteristics, water sources and possible human encroachment. According to officials, the WII and NTCA already possess much of the required data, which will be used to identify critical habitats and wildlife corridors for big cats.
The third and most significant phase will involve deploying camera traps at strategic locations, including animal trails, ridgelines and water bodies identified during the ground surveys. Each camera unit will remain operational for 25 days to capture wildlife movement, after which the images will be processed using specialised software capable of recognising individual tigers through their unique stripe patterns.
"The camera trapping will commence post-monsoon. During monsoons, it is not feasible and will be undertaken in October," sources said.
Launched in 2006, the AITE has completed five cycles so far, in 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022, with Goa participating in all editions. The latest assessment in 2022 recorded five tigers in the State.
