The Forest Department has appointed a five-member research team for Project Nilgiri Tahr, an ambitious project for the protection and conservation of Tamil Nadu’s State animal.
Research coordinator-cum-senior scientist S. Priyanka, who holds Ph.D. in Life Sciences, is heading the team which comprises B. Subbaiyan (Ph.D. Botany), S. Gokul Prasath (M.Sc. Zoology), N. Rajesh Kumar (M.Sc. Environmental Sciences) and K. Manigandan (M.Sc. Wildlife Biology).
S. Ramasubramanian, Field Director of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR), told The Hindu that the team will conduct field visits, covering Nilgiri tahr habitats in Tamil Nadu for a month. “They will visit tahr habitats from the Nilgiris up to Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve. They will interact with the field staff, local NGOs and people. The other project components will be gradually implemented after this stage,” he said.
