Nameri Tiger Numbers Rise to 12 and Two Tigers Recolonize Sonai‑Rupai
State officials say the change reflects stronger habitat protection and better connectivity that could help sustain the reserve’s small recovering tiger population.
Overview
- Forest and Environment Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah announced Friday that the tiger count in Nameri Tiger Reserve rose from three in 2022 to 12 by the end of 2025, and he said the figure was validated by the Wildlife Institute of India.
- Baruah also reported that two tigers have returned to the Sonai‑Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary, the reserve’s roughly 120 sq km satellite core, after decades of absence.
- Nameri Tiger Reserve includes the roughly 200 sq km Nameri National Park as the core area plus the Sonai‑Rupai satellite and the adjoining Naduar and Balipara reserve forests that shape tiger movement and habitat use.
- State officials credited stepped‑up forest protection and habitat management under Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s government for the improvement, saying stronger patrols and restoration work boosted local occupancy.
- Conservationists note the absolute numbers remain small, so continued monitoring, improved landscape connectivity and protection against poaching and habitat loss are needed to reduce genetic and extinction risks and to build on the recovery.