Counting cats is hard, but we know the numbers aren't good

The biologists also questioned the count itself. The WWF report noted that improved census techniques in places like Bhutan might account for some of the increase. And in India, surveys had been expanded to include tigers that lived outside reserves. That makes it nigh impossible to tell whether the increase detected was due to multiplying tigers or better counting methods. And it calls into question the report's claim that the goal of doubling the tiger population by 2022 is within reach. That “is not a realistic proposition,” the biologists said.



Counting animals is inherently difficult - they rarely line up in a neat row out in the open for scientists to count one-by-one. And while one might think that big, furry, brightly colored cats might be easier to count than other creatures, that's not necessarily so. And these big cats bring the added problem that they can kill those counting them.