Indian Tigers Back from the Brink

After decades of dire reports on the future of the Indian tiger, the country’s Environmental Minister recently released a report saying the country’s wild tiger population has risen dramatically in recent years.

Using more advanced technology than previous counts, researchers tallied 2,226 individual animals during the 2014 Tiger Censes — a 30% increase over the last census in 2010 and 57% increase over the first censes in 2006.

“This is incredible news,” says Vishal Singh, Managing Director of Royal Expeditions, which offers wildlife adventures among its many India itineraries. “It really gives us hope that tigers will be able to survive in the wild and not just zoos or safari parks. They’re such magnificent creatures — and such iconic symbols of India.”

In announcing the increase, Indian Minister of State for the Environment, Forests and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar said the census had employed state of the art technology like remotely sensed data, geographical information systems (GIS), the latest computer applications, DNA analysis of tiger scat, and remote camera traps, besides extensive ground surveys, in order to count the tigers. “This science-based monitoring and assessment would further strengthen our efforts to conserve our national animal.”

The latest census recorded tiger populations in 18 different Indian states, with the largest numbers in Karnataka (406) and Tamil Nadu (229) in the south, Uttarakhand (340) in the far north, and Madhya Pradesh (308) in north-central India.

But that doesn’t mean India’s tigers are out of the woods when it comes to long-term survival in the wild. The nation’s big cats and other creatures are still threatened by poaching, habitat destruction, climate and an illegal animal trade that has also become more sophisticated in recent years, especially smuggling of tiger parts into neighboring China.

The census report concludes by stating that “Protected Areas would benefit from conservation inputs that restore habitat, prey populations, and in extreme cases supplementation of tigers so as to ensure that these PAs continue to deliver ecosystem services at their optimal levels. Future of tigers in India depends on maintaining inviolate core habitats for breeding tiger populations, habitat connectivity for genetic exchange and protection from poaching of tigers and their prey.”

Royal Expedition’s itineraries include a walking safari through the “Tiger Lands” of Central India, an “Adventure in Kipling Country” in the wildlife-rich Kanha Valley, and a three-week “Best of Indian Wildlife” adventure that includes Kaziranga in northeast India, Kanha and Bandhavgarh in central India, and Gir in western India.

Vishal Singh agrees: “We can’t let our guard down. Our vigilance must continue when it comes to tigers,” he says. “But this latest census is proof that all of us working together — the government, wildlife authorities, NGOs and the private sector — can make a huge difference in protecting both tigers and the environment as a while. After all, what would India be without its most magnificent creature?”