As the Karnataka forest department analyses data gathered during the six-day tiger census conducted in January, outfits like the Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS), Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) have chipped in to identify the population of the big cats.

"We are looking at identifying the individual tigers based on their unique coat pattern and DNA fingerprinting from scats (faeces)", CWS Director K Ullas Karanth told PTI.

This innovative DNA work was first developed last year, initially in Bandipur, but will be expanded to other sites in the coming months. NCBS is the lead institution in DNA analysis work, he said.

Tigers are individually identified from camera traps (automated cameras generally used to photograph nocturnal wildlife) and counted. "The statistical models also tell us what proportion of the tiger population was not photographed, thus allowing us to make estimates," Karanth said.

Cameras are placed at select sites to estimate the density of tigers in those areas.

Pioneered by Karanth in 1991 in Nagarhole, camera trapping has since then been extended to Bandipur, Bhadra, Anshi and Dandeli reserves in the last few years. Also camera trap surveys have been completed in a dozen reserves outside Karnataka between 1995 to 2004. .