Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that the population of tigers in India had increased from 2226 to 2967, over the course of 4 years. This is an increase of almost 33%, which also means that India has about 70% of the world’s tiger population.
Great news, indeed!
This is a great comeback after 2006 had just 1411 tigers roaming freely in India. Since then, progress has been good but as of now, it is estimated that about 4000 tigers still exist in the world. It is just a testament to the brutality we put them through. These 4000 have been divided amongst 13 countries of which China, Thailand, Russia, and Indonesia are a part. Some countries have just 100 tigers left, while some need to find evidence to prove that tigers still exist in their mainland.
The 1900s had almost 100,000 tigers in the world. Since then, the amount of land changed for business and industrial requirements, along with hunting, has drastically reduced the number to its present state. Almost 93% of the lands that the tigers frequented are changed.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi boasted about India’s performance in one of his many tweets where he mentioned that at least nine years ago, they had decided to increase and double the population of tigers by 2022. One could hear the pride in his words now.
The doubling is a result of the Indian government actually taking steps to help prevent the decrease in the population of tigers. Back in 2006, the count was immensely low, which led to the meeting in 2010, and a proposition signed. But it must be mentioned that back in 2010, the tiger population in India was increased already to 1706 and the world population was 3200. This meant that India was already on the right track.
Malaysia is one such country that imposed strict punishments on poachers. They are given penalties and prison time. Most South Asian countries have been connected by an International Wildlife Protection Network, which has given more and more jungles the status of being protected, so tigers don’t accidentally come in contact with humans while hunting.
In a press conference, Modi mentioned how the number of areas protected had increased from mere 692 to more than 860 and the number of community reserves had jumped from a meager 43 to almost over 100. Now, armed with around 3000 tigers, India has a secure foothold in the ecosystem and habitat game. They can actually boast of being one of the biggest and safest habitats there is.
nterestingly, the government decided to announce this on #InternationalTigerDay.