“Tiger is a large-hearted gentleman with boundless courage,” Edward James Corbett, better known as Jim Corbett, a hunter, tracker and naturalist had once remarked.
Tigers are the largest members of the cat family and are renowned for their strength, agility, and striking appearance. Native to Asia, tigers are found in a variety of habitats, including tropical forests, grasslands, and mangroves. They are solitary hunters, known for their distinctive orange coats with black stripes, which provide camouflage in their natural habitats.
Tigers are apex predators and are positioned right on top of the food chain. They help to regulate the population of herbivores and smaller predators to prevent overgrazing and maintain the ecosystem’s health. They ensure the food web remains balanced which benefits the entire habitat.
As keystone species, tigers are critical to the conservation of their habitats. Protecting tigers often involves safeguarding large areas of forest and other ecosystems, which in turn benefits a wide array of other species that share their environment. This helps preserve overall biodiversity.
Tigers hold a special place in the cultural and spiritual beliefs of many Asian countries. They are symbols of power, courage, and protection in various mythologies and traditions. Their image is often used in art, literature, and folklore, highlighting their cultural importance.
However, the majestic beasts declined in numbers after once thriving all across India. World Wide Fund for Nature has documented three main reasons for that – dwindling natural habitat, indiscriminate hunting, and conflict with humans.
Large-scale habitat degradation and declining prey populations pose significant long-term threats to tigers. Less than a century ago, tigers roamed extensively across India and the subcontinent. However, since the 1940s, increasing human populations have fragmented and reduced their range. Despite some areas still offering extensive habitats, tigers are now confined to small, isolated pockets due to agriculture, forest clearing for development, and infrastructure projects such as roads, railways, and hydropower projects. Tigers require large territories, and along with habitat loss, they have also faced a severe decline in natural prey in critical areas.
For over a thousand years, tigers have been hunted for their status, as decorative items, souvenirs, and for traditional Asian medicines. The sport hunting of tigers led to a significant decline in their populations until the 1930s. In the early 1990s, the trade in tiger bones for traditional medicine further endangered them. Currently, poaching remains the most immediate threat to their survival.
Tigers are increasingly coming into conflict with humans, as they sometimes attack domestic animals and even people while navigating human-dominated areas. In retaliation, these tigers are often killed by aggrieved villagers.
July 29 is observed as International Tiger Day to draw attention to the urgent requirement of saving these majestic beasts. The decision to designate this day was made on July 29, 2010, in St. Petersburg, with the goal of bringing together all tiger range countries to strengthen global efforts in tiger conservation and management. This day is intended to raise awareness about the difficulties faced by these animals and the ongoing efforts to ensure their survival. Currently, there are about 5,574 big cats around the world, with 75 per cent of that in India. The population of tigers has increased by up to 24 per cent and India is now home to 3,682 tigers as of 2022.
The journey of tiger conservation in India started with the ban on export of all wild cat skins in 1969, followed by the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The following year, Project Tiger was launched. In 2006, significant amendments were made to the Wildlife (Protection) Act with the global community understanding the need for their conservation and declaring Global Tiger Day in 2010. In 2023, the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) was launched with the aim to conserve seven big cats – Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Cheetah, Jaguar, and Puma.
As tigers require sprawling habitat to grow, India has dedicated large swathes of land to ensure their numbers continue to rise. In 2023, Veerangana Durgavati was notified as a Tiger Reserve to take the number of tiger reserves in the country to 54. These reserves collectively are spread across more than 78,000 square kilometers of land, that is, 2.30 per cent of India’s geographical area.
Assam has four tiger reserves – Kaziranga, Manas, Orang and Nameri. The population of the wild cats in Assam has witnessed a constant rise over the years. In 2006, there were only 70 tigers in Assam which went up to 227, as per a report in The New Indian Express citing government data. The population has increased in Manas, Kaziranga, and Orang but dwindled from four to three in Nameri.
Concentrated efforts has helped tiger population boom in India and the present scenario may paint a pleasant picture. However, that does not call for any lapse in conservation efforts. A recent trend of rise in human conflicts highlights increasing encroachment of tiger habitat which has to be controlled. The need of the hour is to educate and make the masses understand and rise in unison to help these majestic beasts thrive.