BETTIAH, July 30 -- Forest officials on Tuesday said that the Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR) has recorded a seven times increase in tiger count in past 15 years riding on habitat's carrying capacity for big cats in Bihar's West Champaran district as the state marked the Global Tiger Day. Other official sources put the number of the tigers at over 60 in VTR. The forest officials organised a host of activities, including plantation of saplings, rallies and football match to arouse consciousness and respect for the nature of tiger on the occasion of the Global Tiger Day on Tuesday. Speaking to HT over phone, Dr. Nesamani K, conservator and field director of VTR, sounded optimistic about the rise in the number of tigers' population in VTR with its carrying capacity in rise. "The number of tigers has certainly gone up as against 54, the figure quoted in the 2022 census. The cubs have also been captured in the cameras. The number is certainly encouraging which had dwindled in 2010. Thus, the number of big cats have risen a little over seven times in the past 15 years," said the conservator and field director, expressing his pleasure. He, however, refused to divulge further information on the number of cubs. Dr. Nesamani attributed this rise in the number to a slew of measures taken to increase the carrying capacity of tigers in VTR which include rise in grassland and waterholes within the forests, leading to rise in other carnivores and herbivores. "As against 300 hectares in VTR during 2010-12, our grassland area has gone up manifold and stands at 3,800 hectares in our forest now. Thus, the VTR's tiger carrying capacity has increased," said the conservator and field director, refusing to specify its exact capacity. However, other official sources said the VTR is equipped for the accommodation of big cats approximately 70 against the backdrop of the available infrastructure here, virtually surpassing the required standard. "With the increase in infrastructures such as over 100 grasslands and waterholes (over 100) in two divisions of VTR aided with twelve solar boring to supply water, there has now been a surge in the population of herbivores and carnivore in VTR. Since tiger is at the apex of the biological pyramid, VTR could well be a home to somewhere close to 70 tigers or so, according to our assessment," said a forest official who asked not to be named, of VTR, country's 18th tiger reserve, declared in March 1994....