MSTrIPES App to Drive Tiger Census in Anamalai Tiger Reserve

Wildlife tracking in India is entering a new era. During the upcoming tiger and wildlife census in Anamalai Tiger Reserve, forest staff will use the advanced MSTrIPES mobile application. This digital method will replace most manual work and allow officials to collect data directly in the field. The upgrade is expected to make the survey faster, more accurate, and better connected with the All India Tiger Estimation Survey 2026.

What is the MSTrIPES App?

MSTrIPES stands for Monitoring System for Tigers: Intensive Protection and Ecological Status. It is a smart digital tool designed for forest departments to record wildlife information using GPS-enabled devices.

Earlier, forest guards noted animal signs on paper and later uploaded them into the app. Now, with proper training, staff will enter all details directly into MSTrIPES while walking through forest routes. This includes:

• Tiger and leopard signs
• Megaherbivores like elephants and gaurs
• Arboreal animals such as monkeys and squirrels
• Vegetation details
• Distance covered on each forest transect

Real-time data entry reduces mistakes and saves time, making the entire process smooth and reliable.

Census Schedule and Field Operations

The wildlife census will follow a fixed plan:

• Training session for staff before fieldwork
• January 8–10: Survey of large carnivores and megaherbivore signs
• January 11–13: Prey animal estimation
• January 14: Completion of the exercise

More than 340 forest staff from eight forest ranges will take part. The survey will cover 115 transect lines, ensuring wide and systematic coverage of the reserve.

About Anamalai Tiger Reserve

Anamalai Tiger Reserve is one of Tamil Nadu’s most important wildlife areas. It covers 1,108 square kilometres, including:

• 958.5 sq km of core area
• 150.48 sq km of buffer zone

The reserve lies across Coimbatore and Tiruppur districts. During the census, officials will not only look for tiger and leopard signs like pugmarks and scratch marks but will also record arboreal animals such as the bonnet macaque and Indian giant squirrel. Pellet analysis will help in understanding prey populations and habitat health.

Rising Tiger Population in the Region

The 2022 census recorded about 25 tigers within Anamalai Tiger Reserve. Another 7–8 tigers were shared with the nearby Parambikulam Tiger Reserve. Together, both reserves had 57–58 tigers.

Forest officials are hopeful that the new survey will show growth in Anamalai. Recent signs of tiger movement in the Kolumam buffer range and sightings of newborn cubs in the Ulanthy forest range suggest a healthy and expanding population.