India and Her Tigers – International Tiger Day Special

Did you know that the number of wild tigers has dropped by more than 95% since the beginning of the 20th century? This unprecedented elimination of wild tigers from the surface of the earth has almost brought this fierce yet gentle species at the tipping point in its fight for survival. While there are multiple, interrelated reasons for this alarming decline, the ramifications are not limited to the species alone.

Tigers are generally referred to as an ‘umbrella species’ because they are at the top of the food chain and keep herbivorous animals (who would otherwise run amok) in check thereby maintaining the balance of the local environment.

The Mahabharata acknowledges in an oft-quoted shloka:

निर्वनो वध्यते व्याघ्रो निर्व्याघ्रं छिद्यते वनम्।

तस्माद्व्याघ्रो वनं रक्षेद्वयं व्याघ्रं च पालयेत् ॥

                                                                   महाभारत – उद्योग पर्व: ५.२९.५७

If there is no forest, then the tiger gets killed; if there is no tiger, then the forest gets destroyed. Hence, the tiger protects the forest and the forest guards the tiger!

Mahabharat (Kumbhaghonam Edition) – Udyoga Parva: 5.29.57

While tigers can live in a wide variety of natural habitats, this biggest species of the cat family on our planet has roamed India and the Indian subcontinent for millennia. Tigers are an integral part of the cultural ethos of this land. Who can forget the iconography of Durga with her tiger (alternatively lion)?

India is the land of tigers and is home to more wild tigers than any other country in the world.

The country had 2,967 tigers (2,603-3,346) in 2018 as per the All-India Tiger Estimation (AITE)-2018 released by National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) which is the nodal agency responsible for conservation of tigers in India. The absolute number is still small but this was double of an abysmally low number of ~1,400 just a decade ago and accounts for over 70% of the world’s adult free-ranging tigers.*

Today, India has 53 tiger reserves and more are in the pipeline.** India and Indians have the onerous task of leading the global endeavour to Save the Tiger.

International Tiger Day is celebrated on July 29 every year to mobilise people to save the tiger. The day was chosen because it was on this day in 2010 that the International Tiger Summit took place in St. Petersburg, Russia where governments of 13 nations, which had tiger ranges, pledged to cooperate and help double the population of wild tigers by 2022.

References:

• Status of Tigers in India – 2018
  Can be accessed at https://ntca.gov.in/assets/uploads/Reports/AITM/Status_Tigers_India_summary_2018.pdf
• Belecky, M., Stolton, S., Dudley, N., Dahal, S., Li, M. F. and Hebert, C. 2022. Living with Tigers: How to manage coexistence for the benefit of tigers and people, WWF International, Switzerland.
• http://www.wiienvis.nic.in/Database/trd_8222.aspx

*Some independent reports may have a different percentage

** As of June 30, 2022