The first synchronised estimation of the Nilgiri tahrs in Tamil Nadu and parts of Kerala, which concluded on May 1, will generate DNA repository of the mountain ungulate, besides providing the latest data on its population.
During the three-day survey held from April 29, Forest Department staff, experts and biologists collected pellets of the Nilgiri tahr, which is listed as an ‘endangered’ species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), to create DNA repository and to carry out molecular analysis.
“The pellets will be sent to the Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation at Vandalur where scientific analyses would be done. It will help the Department to find out the presence of bacterial and viral diseases, if any,” said M.G. Ganesan, Director of the Project Nilgiri Tahr.
