Namdapha National Park & Tiger Reserve has launched an intensive field operation as part of the sixth All India Tiger Estimation 2025-26, marking yet another challenging season for its frontline protection teams. Every few years, this nationwide survey becomes a defining moment for India’s wildlife conservation efforts—and in Namdapha, the task demands extraordinary resilience.
More than a routine scientific assessment, the tiger estimation forms the core of India’s strategy to safeguard its big cats. In a landscape defined by impenetrable forests, steep terrain, erratic weather and limited communication access, Namdapha’s staff must overcome hurdles far tougher than most other reserves face. Under the guidance of Field Director and CF A. Deka, the teams have set out with renewed precision and preparedness.
There was a time when tigers were seen frequently throughout Namdapha—across core zones, buffer ranges and even near human settlements. Bengal tigers, leopards, clouded leopards and occasionally snow leopards once moved freely across these forested mountains. But widespread poaching by certain groups drove these species to the brink of local extinction, disturbing the ecological balance and leaving once vibrant habitats unnervingly silent.
Steady, determined conservation action slowly changed that trajectory. Increased patrolling, stronger surveillance, better coordination and deeper engagement with local communities disrupted poaching networks. Day and night, frontline teams prevented further losses. Scientific monitoring and stringent legal measures helped stabilise tiger presence, ensuring the species did not disappear completely from Namdapha.
For this year’s estimation, ground staff have been trained in advanced techniques—camera trapping, sign surveys, line transects and digital geo-tagging. Technology plays a crucial role, but its success depends on the commitment of those implementing it. Namdapha’s guards and watchers have once again shown unwavering dedication.
A promising shift is also visible outside the forest, where communities have begun recognising the ecological importance of tigers. Once indifferent, many now value the tiger as an essential symbol of their forest heritage.
As India undertakes another nationwide count, Namdapha stands as a testament to what persistent effort on the ground can achieve. And it is the quiet, determined work of its frontline staff that continues to protect the future of big cats in one of India’s richest wild landscapes.
