India registered a 20 per cent increase in tiger population last year, says a report, ‘Status of tigers, co-predators and prey in India-2010,' released here on Thursday by Jagdish Kishwan, Additional Director-General (Wildlife), Ministry of Environment and Forests.
“The estimated population of 1, 706 individual tigers represents a 20 per cent increase from the last survey in 2006, which estimated a number of 1,411 tigers. The increase is based on the survey of additional areas as well as an increase in the number of tigers within high-density populations,'' the report said.
The assessment of tigers, co-predators and prey included 17 States with tiger population and involved 4, 77, 000 work-days by forest staff and 37, 000 work-days by professional biologists, making it the largest exercise of its kind in the world. It is done once every four years and is a collaborative initiative between the National Tiger Conservation Authority, the Wildlife Institute of India, tiger States and outside expertise.
“The increase in the numbers is due to the fact that tiger populations in Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Karnataka have shown an increase in their density.
The inclusion of Sunderbans, some portions of the North-East and parts of Maharashtra have also contributed to the increase and the methodology consisted of a double sampling approach,” noted Mr. Kishwan.
But despite the good news, the report warns that tigers are still in danger due to an overall 12.6 per cent loss of habitat, which means that more tigers are being squeezed into smaller areas, which could lead to a lack of dispersal and consequent loss of genetic exchange between populations, and an increase in human-tiger conflict.
“Human wildlife conflict has been one of the major issues that we need to work around to ensure that not just tigers but other endangered species have a chance of flourishing.
The Ministry of Environment and Forests is also looking at amending and bringing in harsher penalties for those caught under the Wildlife Act. We will also bring in the eco tourism guidelines very soon.”
Lead author of the report, Dr. Y. V. Jhala, said: “The loss of corridors does not bode well for the tiger. Poaching can wipe out individual tiger populations, but these can be re-established by reintroductions as has been done in the Sariska and Panna reserves.
However, once habitats are lost, it is almost impossible to claim them back for restoration. We found that tigers require good forests and prey, along with undisturbed breeding areas, for long-term term survival.”
Keywords: Tiger population, Human-wildlife conflict
Good we appreciate the achievement
Wow its great news. Nice Photo too.Lets keep it up.
This is the big news for save tiger
Excellent news...hope will be more better in future
This is hardly any achievement - just another pretext to spend hard earned tax payers billions of rupees on someone's fancies. How saving tiger or any animal was/is or could be useful to humans - total bullshit. So many species come and go - dynosaures came and went, so did the mammoth ! In fact their extinction helped human develop. Creation and extinction of any species is beyond human control. Let the nature do its work.
Nice to hear that. Thank God, some thing is improving ! Thanks for sharing the positive news.
It's a step forward, but these tigers still need a substainable area for hunting and for living. THEIR home is still being encroached upon and respect has to be shown to animals who have as much a right to live on this earth as we do.
I am really happy to learn about the rise in tiger population. As been said, one of the major issues being the HUMAN WILDLIFE CONFLICT -if et al the human realises that the forest belongs to the wildlife than there will not be conflict at all.Neither human nor wildlife will cross their boundaries.
The statistics put forth declaring a 20% increase in tiger population appears misleading & smacks of appeasing 'the powers that be'.Imagine, at the time of independence, there were about 35000 to 40000 tigers in India & now they are only 1400 left.The methodology adopted for the tiger count is primitive & unscientific.In fact, I have found most of the forest staff including their officers clueless about the Fauna & Flora obtaining in the Wild Life Sanctuaries.Aging forest sentries fudge the figures & the unprofessional Field Staff sign off these misleading reports.Knowledge about the pug marks is poor.Further, there is NO breeding policy.There is no strategic balance shifting of tigers from one area to another. What happened to SARISKA ? Will the MOE & F tell the people of India as to where all tigers suddenly disappeared? Scientific National gridding of sanctuaries is called for.There is no count of panthers.Resorts mushroom all over with astonishing regularity with blaring music !!
Good news and hope they do something about the habitat too
It is an excellent news but the way is still long ahead.The hundreds need to be turned into thousands and then lakhs. Keep the spirit high The forest Department
This is good achievement for india,thank u..
Good to hear this !
It is commendable that steps are being taken to increase tiger population run to almost instiction due to illegal pouching in the past. But two fundamental question to be answered are 1.To find out how many tigers can present tiger reserve area support ..otherwise tiger will move on to human inhabitated area .Every tiger needs certain sustainable area where it can hunt.Two tigers cannot stay in same area as competitors for food.Second question is what is being done to prevent further illegal poaching as not again to drive tigers to exitinction.Govermnment of India should work out to take required measures to sustain this figure of tigers.
Good news for India, but i would like to request to media to help in this matter. Because media can spread that news everywhere .
Good News.......atleast my children will hear the roar now....
It is little, not satisfactory but fine,,,,
We can only hope this is an upward trend. Yet, a population of less than 2,000 tigers is pathetic. Humans are exploiting the earth and defending their own interests which most often means the death of wild animals and their habitat. Humanity is selfish and slow to admit failure and folly of "saving" some wildlife. Encroachment, clear cutting of land, water diversion and the list goes on and on. There is not much to be proud of in regards to humans sharing the world with other living creatures. Extinction has come to so many creatures from the activity of all humans. God bless the beasts. God bless nature. God save us from destruction of the remaining wildlife habitats that remain on earth.
The tone of your report is as though the report of the Ministry of Environment and Forest is true. How does the HINDU know that the contents of the report are true?? A few opinions that the report is flawed should have been included.
That's still the major problem. We should first maintain a constancy for the forest areas and land cover for tiger population. Human beings will never understand.
Though it is a good news , but I still want to make sure the numbers are correct ... like G Narayana said make the methodology public ..Also lets have more fierce campaigns against poachers ! Lets save this majestic beast.
Saving the tiger is saving our forests and prey base. The combined effect of this will improve our environment. Most of our rivers originate from forest areas. The benefits of saving the tiger are far reaching and will do good the country as a whole. Do not look at it in narrow prism of loosing forest area from commercial development alone.Population driven pressure and other mining and other industries should take back seat in certain areas earmarked for tigers.
wow...grt news!!!!!!!!
This is probably just another feel-good PR from the govt. As previously mentioned, the methodology used and the numbers are very suspect, if they are not available for scrutiny. Some how, the concept that tiger habitats are diminishing daily and yet the density of tiger population has increased doesn't seem to make sense.
Personally i am relay happy that our tigers having good living condition & they are in increasing no..i salute them who are the part of conservation group. Its a proud for india that we are able to save our identity...& this is request to them please if you are in a condition to do any thing for our tigers do it....
There have been serious doubts raised about the methodology used for arriving at these numbers. The NTCA should put all available material in the public domain for independent scientists to examine and verify these claims. Only if the methods and analyses stand up to peer-review should these numbers then be claimed as authentic.
Its a very positive thing indeed. We want to see the result from Sundarban, West Bengal also. The Royal Bengal Tiger population should also increase. Tigers/gress are the beuty of any forest. Hope someday we will not have to show our children only the picture of Tiger. They also can see them in naked eye.
Good Job Jairam, hope your successor Jayanthi will continue the same...
Good news. But above this we also need to look into other species of wildlife that are on the verge of extinction. Tiger being our National animal as able to garner attention. The media should work on exposing other wildlife that need attention.
Nice article, being an Indian we need respect our national Animal. Its very bad to know our National Animal is in the list of species which are endangered.
Being from the land of the tiger (Bengal), I feel absolutely elated with the news of increase in the tiger population. Additionally having participated in a signature campaign for Stripey the Cub, I feel proud. I hope that this majestic beast continues to do well and grow. Along with the emotional value, it is absolutely instrumental to the environment that this animal thrives well. Kudos to all the workers who have made tiger conservation a success. And also to them who have conducted the census.
Really symbolic photo. Tiger is looking back.Let it become real.
Good news. Thank you.
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