The WII in Dehradun was asked to conduct a countrywide survey on tigers in the wake of reports of vanishing of these big cats in Sariska. Orissa was surveyed in phases that included a camera trap study conducted in the Similipal Tiger Reserve.

It’s known that the tiger population has dropped by 58 percent in the past three years, Biswajeet Mohanty, a member of the National Board for Wildlife, headed by the Prime Minister said here quoting the source.

He said at Similipal, where the 2004 census had put the number at 101, tigers have virtually been decimated. "We believe that the 2,750 sq km forest area doesn’t have more than 25 tigers. The fall is 75 per cent," Biswajeet Mohanty added.

The rest are scattered in pockets like Satkosia, Sunabeda, Athmalik, Narayanpatna, Karlapat, Lakhari, Debrigarh, Kotagarh and Rairkhol.

"These minuscule population of five to seven tigers in each area are simply unsustainable. If the trend continues for some time, the majestic animal in Orissa will be wiped out soon. The movement corridors so important for exchange of genes are now destroyed by mining, irrigation projects or encroachments," he said.

WII experts, he added, had spotted three tigers with blackish tinges in the southern core area of Similipal. This shows that the animals are already showing signs of genetic degeneration.

"The portents are ominous. Soon these tigers will have lower immunity levels and get vulnerable to diseases and shorter life span," he added.

Mr Mohanty attributed the wipeout to unchecked poaching. "Because of the absence of a dedicated wildlife crime cell, the state government has virtually no clue of how poachers operate," he said