Coimbatore : The Tamil Nadu forest department on Wednesday began the tiger census in Mettupalayam and Sirumugai forest ranges in the district using the newly acquired M-STrIPES mobile app.

Staff in all the seven forest ranges in the Coimbatore for forest division were given training to use M-STrIPES (Monitoring System for Tiger-Intensive Protection and Ecological Status), an exclusive tiger monitoring application developed by the National Tiger Conservation Authority.

The census would conclude on October 12 and would be precise on the new system, forest department sources said. Nearly 100 persons, drawn from forest department and NGOs were on the job, the sources said, adding that a total of 47 beats in the range would be covered.

The census would be carried out by identifying the images in camera, pug marks, direct vision, waste and excreta, nail scratches on trees, besides other identification near the animal dens, they said.

Other animals like leopard, elephant, bear, deer, bisons could be identified and estimated through this app and the report with regard to tigers would be submitted to the department.