V Gangadharan | ENS Expect a 15 per cent jump in tiger populationFOREST officials hope for a substantial increase in the tiger population in Tamil Nadu during the synchronised wildlife census exercise that is scheduled to begin towards the end of this month. The population of big cats saw an increase of 25 per cent last year taking their total number to 76 in the State. Tamil Nadu was the only State to record an increase in tiger population in the country last year. According to wildlife officials, considering relevant factors like prey base, forest health and other environmental elements, it is expected that the population could jump by 15 per cent this year. "Even this is a conservative estimate and we hope that tiger population would go up very significantly," a senior forest official said. The census exercise would be carried out under the aegis of the Wildlife Institute of India in association with the Union government in a synchronised fashion involving the States of Karnataka and Kerala. The census would cover Nilgiris, Kalakkad-Mundanthurai, Coimbatore, Pollachi, Satyamangalam, Hosur and Dharmapuri regions in Tamil Nadu. The census exercise is expected to cover most species besides studying the vegetation pattern, changes and effects on forest because of various factors, including possible human interference. The census by the forest department, which was supposed to start on February 6, was rescheduled to February 22 due to many reasons, including the need for better training of officials. The census is likely to take 8-10 days for completion.