The data from the latest round of camera trap exercise for the South 24 Parganas division, also known as the buffer zone of the Sundarbans, was unharmed in the fire at the administrative building in Alipore, an official confirmed.
“The data was already shared with the National Tiger Conservation Authority,” said a senior forest department official, adding that their office was on the fourth floor while the fire started on the third floor. A backup of the data is also maintained at the Sundarbans Tiger Reserve office in Canning.
Regarding the extent of damage in the South 24 Parganas forest division office, the official stated that they have yet to gain access to the premises. The 2022 tiger estimation report indicates that of the more than 100 tigers in the Indian Sundarbans, the South 24 Parganas forest division is home to over 20 big cats.
