International Tiger Day is celebrated every year on 29 July to raise awareness for tiger conservation. The goal of the day is to promote a global system for protecting tiger’s natural habitats and raise public awareness. India is currently home to 70 percent of the world’s tiger population in over 17 states and 50 sanctuaries across the country.There are currently 13 tiger range countries — India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam.

14 tiger reserves in India have received accreditation of the Global Conservation Assured Tiger Standards (CA|TS). CA|TS is a globally accepted conservation tool that sets best practice and standards to manage tigers and encourages assessments to benchmark progress. Habitats which support tiger populations are the building blocks of wild tiger conservation and effectively managing them is essential for long-term survival of wild tigers, said officials.

CA|TS is being implemented across 125 sites in seven tiger range countries and India has the highest 94 sites, out of which assessment was completed for 20 tiger reserves this year.

The 14 tiger reserves, which have been accredited, are Manas, Kaziranga and Orang in Assam; Satpura, Kanha and Panna in Madhya Pradesh; Pench in Maharashtra; Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Bihar; Dudhwa in Uttar Pradesh; Sunderbans in West Bengal; Parambikulam in Kerala; Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Karnataka; and Mudumalai and Anamalai Tiger Reserves in Tamil Nadu.

The All India Tiger Estimation 2018 survey has entered the Guinness World Record for being the world’s largest camera trap wildlife survey. The survey was declared to the nation on the Global Tiger Day last year.

India has 2,967 tigers, a third more than in 2014, according to results of a tiger census made public on July 29,2019.Madhya Pradesh saw the highest number of tigers at 526, closely followed by Karnataka (524) and Uttarakhand (442).tigers has increased from 1,411 in 2006 to 3,167 in 2022. India is home for 75% of the wild tigers in the world.

• Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand has the highest number of 231 big cats in the country
• Nagarhole and Bandipore reserves in Karnataka have 127 and 126 tigers.
• Three are no tigers left in Mizoram’s Dampa, West Bengal’s Buxa and Jharkhand’s Palamau reserves

LEARNING WITH TIMES

Traditionally eight sub-species of tigers have been recognized, out of which three are extinct. The Indian sub-species is Panthera tigris ; Bengal tiger.

The tiger is the largest member of the  (cat) family.Tigers are terminal consumers in the ecological food pyramid, and their conservation results in the conservation of all trophic levels in an ecosystem.

Project Tiger is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Government of India which was launched on the 1st of April, 1973 for in-situ conservation of wild tigers in designated tiger reserves. Project Tiger is being implemented in these States in collaboration with the respective State Governments.  The challenges include: protection against poaching, fragmentation of habitat, securing inviolate space for tiger to facilitate its social dynamics, addressing tiger-human interface, restoration of corridors and eliciting public support of local people by providing ecologically sustainable options.

List of Tiger Reserves Core