Odisha wildlife sanctuary authorities to rope in students in tiger estimation prog

Authorities in Odisha’s Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary in Bargarh district have decided to rope in school and college students in the upcoming All India Tiger Estimation (AITE)-2025-26.

With the objective and theme of ‘conserve today for a wilder tomorrow’, we have decided to engage students for the first time in such an exercise to instill a proclivity to conservation of wildlife among them. Collaborating with the colleges & high schools adjoining Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary will be instrumental for growing understanding among institutions and organisations involving youth voices in wildlife conservation, said Divisional Forest Officer Anshu Pragyan Das.

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As many as 46 groups of students of Dunguri College, Kamgaon College, and Lakhanpur High School will be participating in the upcoming census at Debrigarh during November. By engaging youth, we are trying to create a generation of future leaders, “ambassadors of Debrigarh” and decision makers who shall be motivated to continue conservation efforts in the sanctuary, she said.

Engagement in such exercise will bring creative energy, enthusiasm, and passion, and can inspire community efforts for conservation in this landscape. More than 50 such educational institutions adjoining Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary have been taken on exposure trips ahead of the tiger estimation programme.

Training of students with respect to sampling protocols, data collection, and different types of herbivores & carnivores to be surveyed during the census has already started from 28 October and shall continue until the first week of November. Their knowledge building shall include understanding of signs, pugmarks, footprints, scraps, vocalisation, and other marks like scent/ rake marks, she informed.

The scientific analysis of data collected from the census estimation will assess the status of carnivores, prey species (herbivores & megaherbivores), and their abundance; human impacts on habitat; and habitat status, she concluded.