International Tiger Day: Global Tiger Population Is Increasing As India Leads In Big Cat Numbers

Since 2010, July 29 has been celebrated as Global Tiger Day to raise awareness about this magnificent but endangered big cat, which is also India's national animal.

In 2010, governments of 13 countries that have tiger ranges had come together in St. Petersburg, Russia, to cooperate and help double the population of wild tigers by 2022.

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Tigers make a comeback globally

And the efforts seem to have paid off as tigers, once on the brink of going extinct, are making a comeback globally.

According to the latest International Union for Conservation of Nature¡¯s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species Assessment, the global tiger population has stabilized and potentially increased for the first time in decades.

The new data suggests a potential 40% increase in tiger numbers, from 3,200 in 2015 to 4,500 in 2022, despite extreme threats like poaching that feeds the illegal wildlife trade and habitat loss. Just a century ago, more than 100,000 tigers roamed Asia.

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South Asia leads in tiger count

"Representing 76% of the global tiger population, South Asia¡¯s tigers are gaining numbers, particularly in India and Nepal, from where new population estimates are expected any day. In Northeast Asia, numbers are relatively stable in Russia and likely increasing along the border with China. Of all regions, however, Southeast Asia¡¯s tigers are faring the worst, with tigers having been lost from Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Vietnam since the turn of the century," Panthera, an organisation that is devoted exclusively to preserving wild cats, and was part of the study said.

¡°Protected area population increases in India, Nepal, and Thailand are particularly encouraging as they demonstrate that the recipe for saving tigers can be tailored and replicated across the species¡¯ range. If progress continues in the last decade, I fully expect tigers to be reclassified as ¡®Vulnerable¡¯ by the next IUCN Red List Assessment in seven to ten years,¡± Panthera Chief Scientist and Tiger Program Director, Dr. John Goodrich said.

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India achieved the 2022 target in 2018

India has been the global leader in saving the tigers from extinction.

According to the latest estimate, in 2018, India had a tiger population of 2,967.

While India has managed to reach the goal of doubling the tiger population by 2022, four years in advance, the rising number of big cat deaths remains a concern.

Tiger deaths in India

India has lost 1,059 tigers since 2012, with Madhya Pradesh, known as the 'tiger state' of the country, recording the highest number of deaths (270) according to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).

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Madhya Pradesh, which has six tiger reserves, has logged 27 tiger deaths this year so far. Last year, it lost 41 striped felines.

According to the NTCA, Maharashtra has recorded 183 tiger deaths, followed by Karnataka (150), Uttarakhand (96), Assam (72), Tamil Nadu (66), Uttar Pradesh (56), and Kerala (55).

Rajasthan, Bihar, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, and Andhra Pradesh saw 25, 17, 13, 11, and 11 tiger deaths, respectively.

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