With the golden jubilee of Project Tiger being observed in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the latest census figures of the large feline in Mysuru on Sunday. According to the latest data, the tiger population in India increased to 3,167 in 2022 from 2,967 in 2018.
During the inaugural session to commemorate 50 years of Project Tiger, PM Modi said the success of the initiative is a matter of pride not only for India but for the whole world. "India has completed 75 years of independence, and at the same time, 75 per cent of the world's tiger population is in India," he sald.
Presenting the vision for tiger conservation in the next 25 years, he released a booklet ‘Amrit Kaal Ka Tiger Vision’. The PM also launched the 'International Big Cat Alliance', which will focus on the protection and conservation of seven major big cats of the world—Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Puma, Jaguar and Cheetah. .
The Project
On April 1, 1973, the Indira Gandhi government declared Tiger the national animal, and also launched a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, Project Tiger, to ensure the survival and maintenance of the feline population in specially constituted reserves throughout India.
The project was aimed at increasing the tiger population which was on the brink of extinction during the 1970s. There were just 1,411 tigers in India in 1972.
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According to estimates, India had 40,000 tigers in the wild at the end of the 19th century. Their numbers declined drastically in the 20th century due to rampant trophy hunting and habitat destruction. As a result, tiger hunting was banned in 1968.
To protect wild animals, birds and plants, and to cater to issues related to ecological and environmental security, the government also passed the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
When launched, Project Tiger covered nine reserves spread over 18,278 sq km. At present, there are 53 tiger reserves spanning more than 75,000 sq km. Today, with 3,167 tigers, more than 70 per cent of the global wild tiger population is in India.
During the four years to 2022, about Rs 1,047 crore was allocated under the Project. Around 97 per cent of the allocated budget was also released by the Centre.
The conflict
Five decades after the implementation of Project Tiger, poaching remains the biggest threat to the big cats in India.
The National Tiger Conservation Authority’s (NTCA) mortality data from 2012 to 2022 reveals that of the 762 tiger deaths investigated during the period, around 55 per cent were natural, followed by poaching (25 per cent). Seizure (14 per cent) was the third big cause of tiger deaths. All the others were unnatural non-poaching deaths.
Additional Director General of Forests and member secretary of NTCA, S P Yadav said that even though there has been a significant reduction in tiger poaching due to better technology and protection mechanisms, it remains to be a big threat to the big cats besides habitat fragmentation and degradation.
“Tigers can die due to consumption of urea also. All tiger deaths are considered as an incident of ‘poaching’ unless the investigation proves otherwise,” Yadav had told Business Standard.
In the first three months of this year, tiger deaths are at a three year high. A total of 52 tigers have died as of April 3, according to the data from NTCA, the agency responsible for maintaining the details of each tiger mortality in India.
This year (2023) the monthly average mortality rate is around 17 as against 10 recorded in the last one decade. Moreover, 1,157 tigers have died since 2012.
When asked about Project Tiger's objective for the next 50 years, Yadav said, “The goal would be to have a viable and sustainable tiger population in tiger habitats based on a scientifically calculated carrying capacity. I'm not putting a number (to it) as we cannot increase the tiger population of the country at the same pace because that will result in an increase in conflict with human beings.”
A total of 169 human deaths were also recorded due to tiger attacks for the period January 2018 - June 2021, as per the ministry of environment data.
