The Indian subcontinent is home to several tiger reserves that were established under ‘Project Tiger’. After witnessing a constant decrease in their population due to hunting and poaching, the Indian government increased their efforts to save these endangered species! The National Tiger Conservation Authority recently released its 2022 census report and here’s what it states.
India’s Tiger Population Has Reached 3,682!
The National Tiger Conservation Authority released a ‘2022 Tiger Census’ report and this is what it records:
- In 2022, the tiger population was recorded to be 3,682. In 2018, their population was 2,967.
- The maximum tiger population recorded in Madhya Pradesh was 785. In fact, it is the highest!
- Whereas Karnataka recorded 563 while Uttarakhand has a tiger population of 560.
- Maharashtra has reported a total of 444 tigers.
- As for the reserves, the maximum number of tigers are reported in Corbett National Park (Uttarakhand), followed by Bandipur and Nagarhole in Karnataka and Bandhavgarh (Madhya Pradesh).
- Most importantly, Tamil Nadu witnessed a four-fold increase! From 76 in 2006, the number has increased to 306.
- In fact, the state has five reserves dedicated to tigers!
Other Important Facts About Their Population
Other tiger reserves that excel in tiger population are Dudhwa, Sathyamangalam, Mudumalai, Kaziranga, Kanha, Sundarbans, Tadoba and Pench. In contrast, tigers’ populations either decreased or did not significantly rise in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Telangana, and Chhattisgarh. Big cats were not discovered to be numerous outside of Rajasthan’s famous Ranthambore and Sariska tiger reserves.
According to YV Jhala, former dean of the Wildlife Institute of India, many southern states, including Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, have had deteriorating trends, which is concerning. While the majority of northern states have made considerable gains.
By moving settlements outside of the reserves, where the tiger population has increased, human conflict has been reduced. According to him, the Central government offers a family (a husband-wife unit) a payment of ₹15 lakhs as a relocation incentive.
India is the only nation in the world to have such a plan. The former dean is credited for inventing the present tiger estimating methodology.
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And it has decreased human interference and man-tiger conflicts in the core areas!
Cover Image Courtesy: Canva