The population of the Nilgiri Tahr has been estimated at 1,364 in the latest synchronized survey conducted by the Tamil Nadu Forest Department

The latest synchronised survey conducted by the Tamil Nadu Forest Department estimated the Nilgiri Tahr population at 1,364, registering a 4.68% increase from the 1,303 animals recorded in 2025 and a 32% increase from the 1,031 estimated during the first synchronised survey in 2024.

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¨     The survey was carried out under Project Nilgiri Tahr across 177 survey blocks spanning all 14 forest divisions in Tamil Nadu.

¨     For the first time, the Tamil Nadu Forest Department deployed the ‘Varudai’ mobile application for real-time data collection, geo-tagging and standardised monitoring of Nilgiri Tahr populations.

¨     According to the Survey, 673 Nilgiri Tahrs were estimated in the two largest contiguous habitats — 360 in Grass Hills National Park in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve and 313 in Mukurthi National Park in the Nilgiris.

¨     The remaining 691 were recorded across fragmented habitats spread over 13 forest divisions.

About Nilgiri Tahr

¨     The Nilgiri Tahr is the only mountain ungulate endemic to the Western Ghats and is the State Animal of Tamil Nadu. It inhabits the high-altitude shola-grassland ecosystems of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

¨     The species is classified as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, providing it the highest level of legal protection in India.

¨     Major threats include habitat fragmentation, invasion of exotic plant species, climate change and historical hunting pressures, which have contributed to the decline of several isolated populations.

¨     The Tamil Nadu Government launched Project Nilgiri Tahr in 2023 for habitat restoration, scientific monitoring, population recovery and long-term conservation of the species.