Opinion Call of the tiger
Growing tiger numbers point to the urgency of devising conservation models that also work outside protected areas.
The world awaits a similar correction from Richard Branson, who is being pilloried for blogging: “I truly believe that ‘stuff’ really does not bring happiness.” 
The last tiger audit in 2014 had counted 2,226 tigers.
The report of the tiger census released on Monday showcases a significant achievement for the country’s conservation efforts. India is now home to 2,967 tigers. The last tiger audit in 2014 had counted 2,226 tigers. Even more remarkable is the fact that the latest census shows that the tiger population has increased by more than 100 per cent from 2006, when the numbers of the big cat had hit an all-time low of 1,411 — the animal had been completely wiped out from some reserves such as Sariska in Rajasthan.
The tiger is at the top of the food chain in several ecosystems and its conservation is important to ensure the health of these habitats. A steep fall in the tiger population could lead to a rise in the herbivore population, which could destroy forests by feeding on trees and plants. That is why the decline in tiger numbers in 2005-2006 rang alarm bells amongst wildlife scientists and conservationists, prompting the government to form a Tiger Task Force, and tighten protection measures. The number of tiger reserves has gone up from 28 in 2006 to 50 in 2018. Healthy increases in the population of tigers in these reserves have led to migration outside these protected areas. Several studies have shown that 25 to 30 per cent of the country’s tigers now live outside the core area of national parks.
There is, however, a flip side to the increase in the tiger population. As the animals spill out of protected areas, their proximity to human habitats increases. And, when humans and tigers come face to face, the big cats often pose serious threats to humans and their livestock. There have been several reports of human-tiger conflict in the past five years. Last week, about 250-km from Lucknow, villagers beat to death a mature tigress who had strayed from the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve. The animal had reportedly attacked people, who were working in fields. And, last year, the forest department in Maharashtra’s Yavatmal district gunned down a tigress that had killed at least six people. These incidents point to a new conservation challenge: Devising wildlife protection models that work outside the tiger reserves. Today, several corridors that link tiger reserves are sites of infrastructure projects. In fact, on Monday, the Supreme Court quashed the Uttarakhand government’s proposal for a road on a corridor between the Rajaji Tiger Reserve and the Corbett Tiger Reserve. Sustaining the country’s tiger population will, therefore, require a deft balancing of the imperative of conservation with the needs of local people and the demands of infrastructure development.
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