Haldwani, Jan. 25 -- The tiger census has commenced in the Ramnagar forest division on Saturday, with the first phase of camera-traps launched in the Kosi and Kota ranges, forest officials said. The exercise will be extended to the remaining three ranges of the division, they added. Ramnagar divisional forest officer (DFO) Dhruv Singh Martolia said that the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), which carries out a nationwide tiger estimation exercise every four years across tiger reserves and forest divisions, was supervising the census. "The objective is to assess the current population, distribution and movement patterns of tigers and to formulate future conservation strategies," he said. The division had recorded the presence of 67 tigers during the previous census in 2022. "This year's estimation process has begun. In the first phase, 181 locations across 69 beats have been identified in the Kosi and Kota ranges. Two camera traps have been installed at each location to capture images from both directions, enabling accurate identification of individual tigers based on stripe patterns," added the DFO. Similar arrangements will be made in the remaining three ranges once the first phase was complete. The cameras will remain operational for several weeks to ensure adequate photographic evidence of tigers and other wildlife species moving through forest corridors, the DFO added. "After a detailed examination of photographs and related field data, the NTCA will officially release the updated tiger population figures for the Ramnagar forest division. The numbers are expected to remain stable or show an increase, given ongoing conservation and habitat management efforts," Martolia said. Conservator and director of Corbett Tiger Reserve, Dr Saket Badola, said the tiger census was a crucial tool for wildlife management. "Regular monitoring helps evaluate the effectiveness of conservation measures and plan future interventions," he said....