Nilgiri Tahr's Population Up 27% In Three Years

Numbers in Mukurthi National Park have risen from 568 in 2018 to 612 this year

- Rohan Premkumar

In more good news for the State animal, the Nilgiri tahr, its sightings in the Mukurthi National Park have risen from 568 in 2018 to 612 this year.

Officials said this was the second consecutive year that an increase in the population of the animal had been recorded in the park, meaning the population of the Nilgiri tahr, also known as the Nilgiri ibex, has risen by 132 since 2016.

According to officials, the almost 8% increase in the population of the iconic animal in 2019 follows a similarly significant increase in its population in 2018. Officials said the upward trend was good news, as the new data reinforced last year’s findings.

There was a decrease in tahr numbers in 2017, when a population of only 438 was recorded, down from 480 in 2016.