World Tiger Day: India’s Tiger Population Up by 4%
July 29th marks World Tiger Day
India’s wild tiger population has increased by more than 30% in just four years, according to a new census released today, raising hopes for the survival of the endangered species.
The survey is conducted every four years, with the latest census using 26,000 camera traps that took almost 350,000 images across known tiger habitats.
In 2014, the country had registered the presence of 2,226 tigers. Wildlife Institute of India authored the report jointly with the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and state Forest Departments.
In 1900, more than 100,000 tigers roamed the planet. But that fell to a record low of 3,200 in 2010. However, that year, India and 12 other countries with tiger populations signed an agreement to double their numbers by 2022.
Since then, India’s tiger population has risen steadily, after falling to a record low of 1,411 in 2006. They are yet to return to the figures recorded in 2002 when there were about 3,700.
About 40,000 tigers lived in India at the time of independence from Britain in 1947. Since then, the indiscriminate killing of the animal for its organs has pushed them to the edge of extinction.
India’s growing population has also increasingly eaten into the territory of wild animals, leading to conflict with humans.
