First Ever Camera Trap Photos of a Tiger in Remote Northeast Indian Reserve

Panthera

New data from a camera trap survey have revealed the first ever photos of a tiger (left), and images of more than 30 other mammal species from India’s Namdapha Tiger Reserve. While Namdapha is located on the remote and wild border with Myanmar, it has been impacted over the years by poaching for the illegal wildlife market and has even been declared an ‘empty forest,’ making these recent findings all the more surprising.

In early 2012, 80 camera traps were set up in a 300km2 reserve by teams of scientists from Aaranyak (an Assam-based wildlife conservation organization) supported by Panthera, the National Tiger Conservation Authority, the Arunanchal Pradesh State Forest Department and the Namdapha National Park Authority. These camera trapping efforts are being carried out through Panthera’s Tigers Forever program to collect baseline data on tigers and their prey, and to monitor tiger populations over time. One of six teams led by Panthera Technical Consultant, Sahil Nijhawan, placed camera traps that snapped four photos of a large, male tiger in the southern region of the reserve. They also found pugmarks (tiger footprints) of tigers, along with tiger scat (fecal matter).