Tamil Nadu Spots 1,303 Nilgiri Tahrs in Latest Wildlife Survey

Quick Summary

• Tamil Nadu conducted its second annual synchronised population survey of Nilgiri Tahrs in April 2025, in collaboration with the Kerala Forest Department.
• The estimated population of Nilgiri Tahrs in Tamil Nadu is 1,303, up from 1,031 observed last year. This increase reflects a higher rate of encounters rather than direct population growth.
• A total of 3,126 kilometers were covered on foot across 177 blocks (36 more than last year) by 786 field staff during the survey.
• Around half (47.3%) of the Tahrs were found in contiguous habitats like Grass Hills National park and Mukurthi National Park – recording higher counts compared to 2024 (334 and 282 individuals respectively).
• The rest were distributed across fragmented habitats intersected by roads and tea estates spread across smaller blocks.
• An estimated transit population of around 155 Nilgiri Tahrs was observed moving towards eravikulam National Park in Kerala.
• This year’s survey incorporated a detailed threat assessment for conservation insights – covering habitat use, seasonal movements, and ecological routes taken by the species.

Indian Opinion Analysis
The synchronised efforts by Tamil Nadu and Kerala’s forest departments signify growing inter-state collaboration for biodiversity conservation. The increased encounter rate suggests improved survey methodologies or greater visibility due to shifts in habitat use patterns among Nilgiri Tahrs-a notable step toward understanding their ecology better. Highlighting half of the tahr population concentrated within large contiguous habitats underscores the importance of preserving such areas like Grass Hills and Mukurthi National Parks as critical strongholds.

the inclusion of fragmented ecosystems emphasizes challenges posed by human activity-like roads or tea plantations-on species movement and distribution along landscape corridors crucial for ecological connectivity between states like Tamil Nadu & Kerala.

Integrating threat assessments could offer practical data points essential not just locally but also globally thru alliances with organizations such as IUCN & WWF thereby strengthening broader-scale coordinated systems benefiting Wildlife