A Successful Comeback of Indian Tigers

India or better known as the tigers own country is renowned for having the maximum population of big cats.As per the statistics, nearly 32000 royal cats dwell in 41 tiger reserves and national parks of India. However, there was a time when the country lost almost the entire tiger populace.Fortunately, the concrete and continuous conservation efforts made by the respective authorities lead to a successful comeback of the Indian Tigers.

Tigers – The Pride of India
Tigers being the national animal of India enjoy a special stature in the country. Further, the fact that this exotic species mostly resides only in the Indian Subcontinent adds another feather in the hat. Wildlife enthusiasts from different nooks and corners of the world come to India only for sighting the big cats. In this way the majestic cats contribute considerably to the tourism sector of the country.At the same, this makes it crystal clear that the royal cats are not just other wild being; they are the pride of India.

Steps Taken for Tiger Conservation
The increasing count of tigers in India is not an overnight miracle; it is the result of continuous and rigorous conservation efforts. Some of the major tiger conservation efforts of India are stated as follows:

Project Tiger
Initiated in the year 1973-74 at Jim Corbett National Park, Project Tiger was officially the very first initiative taken by the Government of India for protecting the big cats.In the initial days, only 9 wildlife destinations were announced as tiger reserves under the project - Manas (Assam), Palamau (Bihar), Similipal (Orissa), Corbett (Uttarakhand), Kanha (Madhya Pradesh), Melghat (Maharashtra), Bandipur (Karnataka), Ranthambhore (Rajasthan) and Sunderbans (West Bengal).The conservation campaign thus started never took a ‘U-Turn’; presently there are more than 40 tiger reserves under the project.

Tiger Project was launched with the sole motive of providing a safe and sound habitat to the big cats, and there is no second thought to the fact that this aim has been successfully accomplished.

The Translocation Program
As the name says it, the program included the relocation of the big cats from one abode to another. This relocation program led to the introduction of tigers in various national parks and reserves. In 2004, the Sariska National Park in Rajasthan was on the verge of losing the entire tiger populace because of poaching. Considering the scenario, in 2008 two cubs and five female tigers were relocated from the Ranthambore National Park to the Sariska Park. Presently Sariska is having 10 big cats within its periphery. Earlier also some tigers were relocated from Bandhavgarh and Kanha to Pench National Park. Before the translocation program, Pench hardly had any traces of the big cats and presently there are around 28 tigers in the park.

Camera Traps
In the recent years, India lost a considerable number of tigers due to some illegal activities like poaching. In order to save the big cats from threats like this camera traps were introduced in different tiger reserves and national parks. These cameras covered even the remote areas of the park and thus, made it easy for the forest officials to keep an eye on the poachers as well as on the big cats. Further, the same camera traps help the officials in keeping a tab on the tiger count.

Strict Patrolling
Another measure taken for curbing the rising poaching activities is strict patrolling. More forest rangers have been appointed and all of them make sure that no intruder breaches the security line of the park.

New And Improved rules
In July 2012, the Supreme Court banned tourism in the core areas of tiger reserves. As per the court verdict tourism was posing a threat to the tiger population. However, this ban was affecting the wildlife tourism of India and thus the economy too; it was lifted in October 2012. The point to ponder here is that the ban was lifted only after the National Tiger Conservation Authority came up with some improved laws to maintain the tiger reserves. These laws included that no accommodation or any other tourist facility will be created in the core areas. Further, only 20 per cent of the tiger habitats will be open for the visitors. In this way a balance was created between the sectors of tourism and conservation.

The Rising Graph of Tiger Census
Tiger Census 2006 – 1,411 Tigers

Tiger Census 2011 –1706 Tigers

Tiger Census 2013-14 - Under process

Though the result of Tiger Census 2013-14 are yet to be announced, there is a vibe that it will be positive. Owing to the efforts made by the authorities as well as the news of increased count of tigers in various national parks and tiger reserves, there are more chances that the census graph will witness an upward line.

Author Bio~Jessica Frei is a wildlife enthusiast and a travelogue, she has been to many wildlife destination in the past few years and is associated with many conservative efforts. In the above article, she is sharing about tiger conservation efforts and its impact