Tiger Status in India

More than half of the tigers in the world live in India. The current tiger population is thought to be 1,706 (i. e. , between 1,571 and 1,875), according to the most recent tiger census report published by the National Tiger Conservation Authority on March 28, 2011. Data from the 17 Indian states with tiger populations are among the results.

The number of tigers was 1,411 in 2008. The Tiger Census 2008 study divided India’s tiger-inhabited woods into six landscape complexes: (a) Shivalik-Gangetic Plains, (b) Central Indian Landscape Complex, (c) Eastern Ghats, (d) Western Ghats, (e) North-Eastern Hills and Bhramaputra Plains, and (f) Sunderbans.

According to reports, there are six distinct tiger populations in the forested environment of the ShivalikGangetic plain, totaling 5080 square kilometers with an estimated population of 297 (between 259 and 335). At the time, tiger presence in the Central Indian Landscape was reported from 47,122 km2 (11. 6% of the forests), with an estimated tiger population of 451 (347 to 564) spread across 17 populations. There were about 15,000 km2 of possible tiger habitat in the Eastern Ghats landscape complex. The estimated population of tigers in 7,772 km2 of forested habitat was 53 individuals (49 to 57). Within the Western Ghat Landscape, tigers inhabited 21,435 km2 of forests, which made up 21% of the forested area. In the landscape complex, there are currently about 51,000 square kilometers of possible tiger habitat. There are estimated to be 366 (297434) tigers in this terrain. Tiger habitat was recorded in 4230 km2 of forests in the Bhramaputra plains and northeastern hills. The tiger populations, notably those that reside outside protected reserves, are fragmented, face severe poaching pressure, have a shrinking prey base, and have an overused habitat.

The Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972 and the National Tiger Conservation Authority are the mainstays of India’s tiger protection plan. Between the mid-1970s and mid-1980s, a large portion of tiger habitat was designated as a protected area, with 66 national parks and 421 wildlife sanctuaries. Later, they were expanded to include 102 national parks, 515 animal sanctuaries, 44 conservation reserves, and four community reserves.

As a result, tiger numbers have increased in several areas. The very survival of the tiger is now threatened by the uncontrolled killing of tigers for their parts for sale in markets outside of India.

The new threats with new protection measures, such as improved law enforcement, training, and support, are neither targeted nor adequately addressed by existing conservation initiatives. Although excellent new tiger protection measures have been proposed (including the recommendations of the Subramanian Committee for the Prevention of Illegal Trade in Wildlife, 1994 and Tiger Task Force, 2005), little or no effective action has been taken in the field. Most of our tiger reserves lack basic infrastructure and tools to combat poaching, and few of the tiger reserves have a strong intelligence network. Poachers frequently have more firearms and manpower than the forest guards. Recently, there have been numerous instances of murder and significant assaults against forest guards while they were on duty.

The last session of the National Board of Wildlife took place on March 18, 2010. The tiger’s habitat is also being harmed by major development initiatives like thermal and hydroelectric dams and mining. To make way for such projects, thousands of square kilometers of forest land have been diverted and destroyed during the last ten years. The loss of this crucial habitat will have significant consequences for tiger protection in India, even though it is mostly outside the protected network.

WPSI has made a focused effort since 1994 to collect reliable data on tiger poaching happening across India. It is known that 923 tigers were killed between 1994 and 2010. Our data on tiger poaching numbers is included in WPSIs comprehensive database of tigers poached. However, these numbers are simply reported cases and only account for a portion of the real poaching in India.

A 2005 undercover investigation conducted jointly by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and the Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) found that the trade in tiger and leopard body parts in China is still booming, operating unimpeded by the Chinese government and bringing India’s wild tigers closer to extinction.

India continues to have the greatest opportunity to preserve the tiger in the wild, despite all of these challenges. The tiger may be found in 17 Indian states, with seven of them said to have more than 100 tigers. Areas with comparatively big tiger numbers and large swaths of protected habitat still exist. Sufficient financing and international pressure will be beneficial. However, boosting the involvement of NGOs is likely the most efficient strategy to carry out tiger protection initiatives in India right now. Numerous devoted groups are actively engaged in practical tiger protection. They relentlessly work to strengthen political resolve to protect the tiger’s future and maintain the issue’s momentum at the national level. Now, the Indian scientific and conservation sector has established itself as a potent force. It requires reinforcement.