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.
