The Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary near Roing in Arunachal Pradesh, India, is known for its lake and abundance of species, but never before had a particular large cat been captured on camera in the park.
The tiger was spotted via camera trap during a recent survey, The Arunachal Times reported.
Mehao range forest officer Kabuk Lego and North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology doctoral candidate Deepankar Barman led the study with help from the Wildlife Trust of India.
"The presence of tigers has always been reported in sign surveys or by the public, but no tiger images had ever been captured in camera traps till date, despite several intensive studies carried out in past," Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary divisional forest officer Mito Rumi said in a news release.
The preserve and Lower Dibang Valley are home to numerous birds, plants, and butterflies. The researchers credited this biodiversity to the Indigenous Idu Mishmis and Adis, calling them "conservation community champions."
The tiger and other fauna, including the clouded leopard and marbled cat, can thank the peoples for helping to protect the area's "good habitat quality and prey base," which ensures healthy genes and their continued survival, according to the release.
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Trail cameras and other scientific efforts also help, as environmentalists can learn more about endangered species and how to safeguard them from risks such as habitat destruction, the changing climate, and other human-caused problems. In Thailand's Kaeng Krachan National Park, for example, a trail camera captured a mother leopard with its cub despite a "bleak" outlook for the animals.
One study showed wild tigers in India more than doubled their population from 2010 to 2022. This happened as more than 3,500 of the creatures were taken from traffickers, and the lead author emphasized that people's attitudes were most important.
The work can be harrowing, of course. In this case, one of the scientists, Rama Umpo, was injured by a foot trap when the team was picking up its cameras, underscoring the dangers poachers pose to not just tigers and other animals but villagers, students, mithun herders, and tourists, per the Times.
Forest rangers ramped up patrols and were on the lookout for more traps, and citizens can earn cash rewards for providing information about tiger poachers.
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Definitely 👍 "Mehao WLS will collaborate with other law enforcement agencies, including central agency [Wildlife Crime Control Bureau], to fight against tiger poaching syndicate which operates across states and international boundaries," the release stated.
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