Coming a long way since the days of the flawed pugmark tiger census, followed for over three decades, the country is all set to become the world pioneer in big cat monitoring with its new refined phase-four protocol. As per the latest method, annual monitoring of tiger source population would be done covering a sufficiently large area with more intensified sampling using the state-of-the-art technology. This involves using capture-recapture methods based on individual identification of tigers from camera trap data or fecal DNA. The refinements have been developed over the past three years by NTCA and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), with the Centre for Wildlife Studies, Bangalore, playing a key supportive technical role. According to Dr Ulhas Karanth, director of Wildlife Conservation Society-India Program, “If implemented fully, these refined protocols now adopted by NTCA are well ahead of most big cat monitoring programs anywhere in the world.” He played an instrumental role in working to get the protocols in place. The extent and intensity of sampling of big cats with camera traps are amongst the best features of the new protocol. As against the present system, where the minimum area is specified at 400 sq km, the earlier sampling was more arbitrary and much too small, ranging from 50 sq km to 100 sq km, with a sampling intensity of 1,000 camera trap night per 100 sq km area. It will further ensure that sampling is completed in 45-60 days every year. Appreciating the large spatial scale suggested, the high intensity of sampling specified using the advanced field and analytical methods recommended, Dr Karanth added, “It will bring a lot of transparency and scientific rigor to the exercise of monitoring our national animal that is severely endangered.” “Further, the process will make monitoring results more directly linked to tiger numbers, and thus, more reliable. Focusing on real time monitoring of key tiger populations, this is a more advanced monitoring system with scientific collaboration in sharp contrast to the earlier countrywide trends measured once in four years,” pointed out NTCA sources. The system will not just bring out the static tiger numbers, but also come out with changes in numbers and measures of survival can also be estimated under the refined methodology. “If done properly in about 20,000 sq km of important tiger habitats, basically this will cover about 90 per cent of India’s tiger population,” pointed out Dr Karanth. These protocols will work in tandem with a national tiger photographic data base repository to be developed and maintained at NTCA.