Tiger Identification– Ranthambore National Park
Each tiger has patterns of strips and facial markings unique to itself and individual can thus be identified while such identifications by visual or photographic confirmation are usually employed in long term behavioural studies in given area to great advantage counting tiger by this method is not practicable in a large area. The tiger’s partiality to cover its nocturnal habits unpredictable movement and generally secretive behaviour do not allow repeated sighting or photography especially of all individuals in an area.
The standard and practical method of counting tigers is to identify individuals by their pugmarks a method equally capable of near mathematical accuracy features in a pugmarks e.g. the shape and relative size of the right left or bottom lobe of the pad the top of the pad the relative size and placing of the toes with respect to the pad and several other featured vary from the tiger to tiger. An individual can be identified from a study of a combination of these featured unique to itself ascertained replicably from frequent tracings of pugmarks recorded in the field.
Ranthambore National Park Conservation of the wilderness has come to stay in India accepted on ecological merit and endorsed by the traditional value of aesthetic culture and religion important statutory regulatory and restorative measures have benefited a host of species and their habitats in a number of tiger reserve, National parks and sanctuaries. Some of the best places to see the tiger Madhya Pradesh ( Kanha , Panch Bandhavgarh ) Rajasthan ( Sariska , Ranthambhore ) uttrakhnad ( Corbett) etc.
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