Celebrating good news for India's tigers

Tiger

There may have been around 100,000 tigers in the wild a century ago, before habitat destruction and poaching decimated their populations.

India is home to more wild tigers than any other country—around 70% of the world’s total. New tallies from the country’s 2018 tiger survey (called the All India Tiger Estimation) demonstrate a stable or growing population, estimated at 2,967 individuals, bringing hope for the species’ recovery.

The survey—supported by WWF and conducted by India’s National Tiger Conservation Authority, the Wildlife Institute of India, and state forest departments—is India’s most extensive to date; it covered nearly 150,000 square miles of forested habitats in 20 Indian states. Camera traps deployed at more than 26,000 locations resulted in 76,651 photographs used to identify individual cats.

These results reflect India’s leadership in tiger conservation. WWF continues to work with governments, local communities, and partners to conserve and connect habitats, build strong political will and sustained investments, and gain public support for tiger conservation.

© TIGER FUR © MINT IMAGES/MASTERFILE World map of Tigers

 

 

3,900

Estimated number of wild tigers in the wild

 

2,967

Estimated number of wild tigers in India

 

In 2010, when wild tigers numbered as few as 3,200, 13 COUNTRIES with current or historic tiger populations set out to double the number of tigers in the wild by 2022, in an ambitious effort known as TX2.

The 13 countries are Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand, and Vietnam.

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