India’s Tiger Census has shown an increase of 6.74% in the number of tigers in India, from 2,967 in 2018 to 3,167 in 2022.
The 5th cycle of India’s Tiger Census was released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an event in Karnataka’s Mysuru.
The government’s vision for tiger conservation was also released during ‘Amrit Kaal’, and the International Big Cats Alliance (IBCA) was launched.
IBCA will focus on the protection and conservation of seven major big cats of the world, including tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, puma, jaguar, and cheetah, with membership of the range countries harbouring these species.
Project Tiger was launched by the Indian Central Government on April 1, 1973, in a bid to promote conservation of the tiger when their population was rapidly declining.
At the time of independence, there were 40,000 tigers in the country. However, by 1970, they were soon reduced to below 2,000 due to widespread hunting and poaching.
Two years later, the Indian government conducted its own tiger census and found that there were only 1,800 of them left in the country.
Project Tiger was established by then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to tackle the problem of hunting and poaching, and the Wildlife Protection Act was promulgated in 1972.
Today, there are 54 tiger reserves across India, spanning 75,000 sq km.
The current population of tigers in India stands at 3,167, which is a significant increase compared to previous years.
The goal of Project Tiger is to have a viable and sustainable tiger population in tiger habitats based on a scientifically calculated carrying capacity.
