Monday, November 28 2005 14:38 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Itanagar: Tigers are very much there in the Namdafa reserve forest in Arunachal Pradesh, a top official of the forest has said, denying media reports that there has been none of the big cats left in the 2,000 square kilometre area.

The field director of the forest, Dr L K Pait, said, that according to the last estimation in 2003, over 60 tigers were counted.

''I do not apprehend any fall in their population when the next estimation is carried out in December next,'' Pait told sources on phone from Miao yesterday (Nov 27, 2005).

Saying that every two years the estimation was done, Pait pointed out that tourists and field staff were regularly spotting the big cats and they were sending monthly reports to the inspector-general of forest and director of Project Tiger in Delhi.

Pait said that he had taken over as the director six months ago and the field staff did not report any killing of tiger by the Lisu tribes.

There had been some reported encroachment by some families of the Lisu tribes and there had been some incidents of poaching reported in the past, he said.

''We have taken up with the local authorities for their eviction,'' he said.

He, however, admitted that patrolling the forest had been difficult because of the very poor condition of roads and on top of that only 30 staff were there in the forest at present which was clearly inadequate.