When the first synchronized Nilgiri tahr survey was conducted across Tamil Nadu in 2024, officials estimated that just 1,031 animals remained of the species, which is classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).Project Nilgiri Tahr, India’s first species-specific recovery programme for the mountain ungulate, was then initiated to increase the population, re-link fragmented habitats and eventually move the species away from brink of extinction.The first survey in 2024 established a baseline across 140 blocks in 13 forest divisions covering 1,862sqkm. The following year, survey teams identified 36 undocumented habitats and recorded a population of 1,303 animals. In 2026, the exercise expanded further, with Tamil Nadu and Kerala jointly surveying more than 3,100sqkm across the species’ range. “The results for the 2026 survey are being compiled, and the results are encouraging,” says Supriya Sahu, additional chief secretary for environment, climate change and forest.Each survey has helped conservationists move beyond rough estimates and towards a clearer picture of the tahr’s future.“An annual survey is crucial for long-term protection of the Nilgiri tahr,” says Sahu. “The aim is to transition species from an endangered classification to vulnerable, and ultimately, to the least concern category.” The survey includes independent experts as outside observers from well-known organizations such as IUCN, Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (Tanuvas), and Wildlife Trust of India (WTI). “It ensures the survey is thorough and reliable. Their combined knowledge about animal behaviour, health assessments, and habitat conditions helps create a consistent and effective approach to the survey. The first step is verifying the number of adult animals, then halting the rate of decline, and third, expanding species’ distribution.”For the first time, says Sahu, a mobile application, ‘Varudai’, is being used for real-time data collection, GPS-based tracking, and standardized reporting. A web-based system enables near-real-time integration of field data.“Earlier, reports of species sightings were often based on rough estimates. But with Varudai, we get accurate latitude and longitude coordinates. An image of the animal is captured and the geographical coordinates transmitted to our centre for compilation,” says Sahu.“Until the synchronized survey, there was no comprehensive estimate of the Nilgiri tahr population across its range in the state,” says Yash Veer Bhatnagar, co-chair, IUCN-Caprinae Specialist Group and Country Officer-India. “Earlier surveys had covered only specific portions or individual districts, so we had limited knowledge of its distribution.”Connecting isolated populations“The tahr has evolved to use the cliffs, so that’s where it goes to be safe. Currently, only small populations are surviving in remote areas. When one patch is small, and the next patch is about 50km away, it becomes difficult for the animals to move between them. The danger of isolating patches is that the population could disappear,” says Bhatnagar.Mobility between the patches is crucial, says Bhatnagar. Unfortunately, excessive development in the Western Ghats has been hindering that.M G Ganesan, deputy director of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (core zone) and former project director of Project Nilgiri Tahr, who participated in the 2024 and 2025 surveys, says the department has begun restoring corridors between fragmented habitats identified during the exercise.“In the Nilgiris, we are restoring a corridor between Kolaribetta and Kudiakadubetta by removing invasive species, including thorny guare, from about 15 hectares. Another 15 hectares will be cleared to complete the link.”Kolaribetta, the highest peak in the Nilgiris, supports one of the region’s most important tahr populations. A male tahr has already been recorded moving towards Kudiakadubetta. “We hope improved habitat connectivity will allow more animals to disperse between the two hillocks,” says Ganesan.Similar efforts are underway elsewhere in the Western Ghats. Corridors have been identified in Tirunelveli, Kodaikanal and the Nilgiris, where invasive plants are being removed to reconnect isolated habitat patches. “It is tricky as many sites are in steep, swampy or inaccessible terrain where machinery cannot be used, and restoration must be carried out manually,” says Ganesan. In the Nilgiris, six disconnected habitat blocks are being reconnected.“A successful population increase requires at least 100 mature animals in an area (patch). For example, if there are 100 females in a habitat, there can be 100 lambs during the breeding season, resulting in a 1:1 ratio,” says Bhatnagar. “The number of female tahr is few in every patch. We need to focus on increasing those numbers as well as on improving the survival of the lambs.”The species decline can be attributed to various factors, primarily rampant hunting and poaching prevalent until the 1970s and 1980s. The Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 introduced a hunting ban, but by then, the population had already become fragmented.“Current sampling shows that the tahr spends most of its time in open meadows and 7%-10% of its time in forests. We need to study their presence in these forests to determine why they go there. That would help efforts to increase their population,” says Bhatnagar.Full-genome sequencing of the Nilgiri tahr has also been completed. “Surprisingly, we discovered that its genes are closer to those of sheep than goats,” says Sahu.
