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In a landmark development
for wildlife conservation Gujarat has been officially reinstated as a tiger
bearing state after a gap of 33 years.
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The decision was taken by
the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), which has confirmed Gujarat’s
inclusion in the All India Tiger Estimation (AITE) 2026 following sustained
evidence of tiger presence in the Ratanmahal Sanctuary.
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This move marks Gujarat’s
return to India’s official tiger map which is strengthening the country’s
conservation narrative under Project Tiger.
Reason Of Gujarat Exclusion Earlier
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Gujarat last featured in
the national tiger census in 1989, when forest officials recorded pugmarks but
failed to establish confirmed sightings.
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Due to the absence of
photographic or physical evidence, the state was excluded from the 1992 tiger
census, effectively removing it from the list of tiger states.
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Since then, only one
confirmed tiger sighting occurred in 2019 but the animal survived for just 15
days failing to establish a viable presence.
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As a result Gujarat
remained outside the formal tiger estimation framework for more than three
decades.
Ratanmahal Sanctuary and the New Tiger
Presence
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The turning point came
with the confirmed presence of a nearly four-year-old tiger in the Ratanmahal
Sloth Bear Sanctuary, located in Dahod district along the Gujarat Madhya
Pradesh border.
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The tiger reportedly
entered the region in mid-February 2025 and has since maintained a stable
presence for nearly ten months.
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Continuous camera-trap
photographs and CCTV footage provided clear evidence of sustained habitation
rather than transient movement.
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Based on this data, the
NTCA formally issued directions to implement tiger conservation measures in the
sanctuary, paving the way for Gujarat’s reinstatement.
Inclusion in All India Tiger Estimation
2026
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The All India Tiger
Estimation 2026, one of the world’s largest wildlife population surveys, began
recently in Indore.
¨
Following the NTCA’s
decision, Gujarat will now be part of this extensive exercise for the first
time since 1989.
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Officials associated with
the census have confirmed that a dedicated camera-trap survey will be conducted
along the Gujarat Madhya Pradesh border.
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As the tiger has not yet
been radio-tagged, it will be tagged during the census, enabling scientific
tracking of its movement across state boundaries.
