Tigers once roamed Asia, their numbers reaching 100,000 in the early 20th century, before the species fell to the brink of extinction.
In 2006, their population in India – home to most of the world’s remaining wild tigers – hit a record low of just 1,411 individuals.
But decades of conservation efforts seem to have finally paid off. India’s tigers have more than doubled since then, reaching 3,167 last year, according to the latest tiger census released on Sunday.
This represents about 70% of the world’s wild tiger population, which is around 4,500, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
The resurgence of Indian tigers represents a triumph for conservationists and a ray of hope for other countries struggling to increase wild animal numbers.
The report was released alongside the 50th anniversary celebrations of Projeto Tigre, the government conservation program launched in 1973.
“We have thousands of years of history related to tigers… The tiger is considered our brother in many tribes,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a speech on Sunday. “A better future for humanity is only possible when our environments are protected and our biodiversity continues to expand.”
Modi also visited two tiger reserves on Sunday, with photos showing the leader wearing a safari hat and camouflage clothing.
declining tigers
Tiger numbers began to drop sharply in the 1940s as human populations grew. Agricultural expansion, deforestation and infrastructure have fragmented tiger habitats, according to the WWF – particularly devastating given that tigers are solitary animals that require large territories to roam and hunt.
Today, tigers exist on just 7% of the land they used to occupy, according to the WWF.
This ever-shrinking space has meant an increase in human-tiger conflict, with several incidents over the last few decades of tigers attacking humans and entering villages in search of food. And they’re not alone – India’s endangered elephants also often roam farms and devour crops.
While environmental degradation is a problem faced by countries across the world, India’s population explosion poses a unique challenge. In 1971, the country had 547 million inhabitants; it now has 1.4 billion and is set to overtake China to become the world’s most populous country this year.
Unregulated poaching in the 1980s further accelerated the decline in tiger numbers. Tigers were hunted for sport, status and consumption, with their bones and other parts often used in traditional Chinese medicine. India officially banned tiger hunting in 1972, but it remains a major threat, with poaching blamed for the complete extinction of tigers within an Indian reserve in 2005.
success story
Efforts to reverse the trend have led India to develop 53 tiger reserves covering nearly 75,800 square kilometers (7.5 million hectares), up from just nine reserves at the start of the Tiger Project.
Authorities relocated and paid for entire villages to make room for the tigers and created wildlife corridors to link their fragmented habitats.
The government has also invested in technology such as drones, camera traps and software systems to track tiger populations, movements and behaviors.
There are many challenges ahead, warned the WWF. The worsening climate crisis spells trouble for vulnerable habitats. Many tiger reserves and protected areas are “tiny islands in a vast sea of ecologically unsustainable land use”, with human activity encroaching on tiger environments. And poaching continues despite strict laws.
Still, the return of the tiger population is encouraging – and India is starting to share its conservation practices with other countries with declining tiger numbers. In recent years, Delhi has signed bilateral agreements and launched initiatives including conservation workshops with Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Bangladesh and Bhutan.
And, as Modi pointed out in his Sunday speech, similar successes are being seen with other species; India welcomed its first newborn cheetahs in March, more than 70 years after the big cats were officially declared extinct in the country.
The cubs were born to two rehabilitated cheetahs brought to India from Namibia as part of a government plan to rehome 50 individuals over the next five years.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
