Amidst all the devastating news of climate change, lack of habitat, animals dying and rampant deforestation and land encroachment by humans, there is a ray of hope in India people! Our tiger population has increased by 2 fold in Maharashtra. This is a rare phenomenon never seen before but who’s complaining? We’re just really happy that the numbers are back up again! All that remains now is to make sure the steady increase does not falter at any rate. You with me guys?
The Data
The tiger population has always been low or dipping in India due to several factors like poaching, lack of strict laws, the encroachment of environment, human-animal conflict etc. But it is a celebration as the tigers in Maharashtra have doubled since 2010! Yes, Maharashtra now has double the tigers it has in 2010.
This is a wonderful addition to the healthy tiger population in Madhya Pradesh and also down south in Karnataka. These regions still have more tigers than Maharashtra but the point is the huge increase in the population here which has almost never been seen before.
The Report
The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi himself released the report on the matter which stated that out of the estimated tiger population of 2967 in India, more than 312 tigers were found in Maharashtra alone! That’s crazy good, right?
This was made possible due to the ‘Village Relocation Policy’ adopted by Maharashtra. It took a zero-tolerance policy towards poaching and engaged reliable officers on duty.
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What Next?
Many sanctuaries focusing on preserving the tiger population are in the works. And we as a society, need to help keep this momentum going. How can we do that best? By respecting our environment, not littering and wasting natural resources. And the most important of all, not giving in to the poaching trade by buying animal products made by killing these endangered animals. Let’s save the tigers together?
Also Read: The Legacy Behind India’s First Natural Sanctuary In Uttarakhand, Jim Corbett