Tamil Nadu's third synchronised survey has recorded a steady rise in its state animal's population, with officials crediting sustained conservation work under Project Nilgiri Tahr.

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• Tamil Nadu's third synchronised Nilgiri Tahr survey, conducted from April 24 to 27, 2026, estimated the state animal's population at 1,364 individuals.
• The count marks a 4.68 percent rise over the 1,303 tahr recorded in 2025, and over 32 percent growth since the first survey counted 1,031 in 2024.
• The exercise covered 177 survey blocks across 126 forest beats in 43 forest ranges, spanning all 14 Nilgiri Tahr-bearing forest divisions in Tamil Nadu.
• It was conducted jointly with the Kerala Forest Department, involving frontline forest staff, wildlife scientists and independent observers.
• The Anamalai Hills held the largest share of the population at 44.87 percent, followed by the Nilgiris landscape at 29.25 percent.
• The survey recorded a male-to-female ratio of 55:100 and a female-to-young ratio of 100:66, with tahr documented between 270 and 2,630 metres above sea level.
• Findings were released by Tamil Nadu's Forests Minister R. V. Ranjithkumar and Environment Minister V. K. Rajeev to mark World Environment Day on June 5, 2026.
• Additional Chief Secretary Supriya Sahu credited the gains to Project Nilgiri Tahr, a five-year state conservation initiative launched in December 2022 with a budget of about Rs 25 crore.
• Officials said forest fires had limited further population growth in parts of the tahr's high-altitude grassland habitat during the survey period.
• The survey used the Android-based "VARUDAI" mobile app for real-time transmission of field observations, improving data accuracy.
• The Nilgiri Tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius) is classified "Endangered" on the IUCN Red List and is the official state animal of Tamil Nadu.