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Five months after the launch of the Project Nilgiri Tahr, Tamil Nadu is all set to estimate the population of its State animal.
Forest Departments of Tamil Nadu and Kerala will jointly count the population of the mountain ungulate in a three-day synchronised census starting from April 29.
Double observer methods would be used to estimate the population of the species.
The survey would be carried out by 700 people.
Nilgiri tahrs
The Nilgiri tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius) is an ungulate that is endemic to the Nilgiri Hills and the southern portion of the Western and Eastern Ghats in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in southern India.
It is the only species in the genus Nilgiritragus and is closely related to the sheep of the genus Ovis
Their range extends over 400 km (250 mi) from north to south, and Eravikulam National Park is home to the largest population
It is classified as an endangered species in the IUCN red list of threatened species
It is protected under schedule-I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of India, 1972
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