Editorial: Crouching tigers

Last week, it was reported that India doubled its tiger population over a decade through protecting the big cats from poaching and habitat loss, while ensuring they had adequate prey, reducing human-wildlife conflict, and enhancing the standard of life of communities living in proximity to tiger reserves. Per estimates from National Tiger Conservation Authority, the number of tigers grew from an estimated 1,706 in 2010 to around 3,682 in 2022, making India home to roughly 75% of the global tiger population. At the time of the survey, there were about 53 reserves spread across 75,796 sq km. The study also said big cats occupied 30 per cent more area between 2006 and 2018. A few communities situated close to tiger habitats have derived benefits from the increase in tiger count, thanks to footfalls spike and revenues generated by eco-tourism.

The report highlighted that India's success story could offer valuable lessons for tiger-range countries regarding how conservation efforts can boost biodiversity and peripheral communities. The analysis holds significance for India, where the tiger population is spread across around 1.38 lakh sq km, roughly the size of the state of New York. But only 25% of the area is rich in prey and protected. Another 45% of tiger habitats are shared with around 60 million people.

Troublingly, the paper noted that tigers had altogether disappeared in some regions that were not located near national parks, wildlife sanctuaries or other protected areas. Tiger numbers have depleted in areas that witnessed increased urbanisation, surge in human use of forest resources and higher frequency of armed conflicts. Critical habitats in states such as Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Jharkhand, covering approximately 1.57 lakh sq km, remain devoid of tigers. These regions need strategies such as socioeconomic upliftment activities vis-a-vis, forest-dwelling communities, prey and tiger reintroduction programmes, and habitat restoration.

The menace of poaching has come under the radar of forest official too. The Wildlife Crime Control Board (WCCB), a central government body, recently issued a red alert to the field directors of tiger reserves, asking them to intensify patrolling to prevent poaching of big cats. The notification pointed to the presence of organised hunting gangs and nomads in and around Central Indian Highlands, Eastern Ghats, Shivalik Hills, Gangetic Plains and Landscapes like Satpura, Tadoba, Pench, Balaghat, Gadchiroli, Chandrapur, Jim Corbett, Amangarh, Pilibhit, Valmiki, Rajaji Tiger reserves and their adjoining tiger bearing areas.

In recent weeks, the phenomenon of big cats walking out of tiger reserves have also resulted in deadly consequences on account of man-animal conflicts. A tigress which was declared a man-eater and faced a shoot-at-sight order, was found dead near a house early in Wayanad district of Kerala last month. The tigress was deemed responsible for the death of a 45-year-old tribal woman, and was in the crosshairs of officials. The woman’s death had prompted massive protests against the forest department’s failure to bring down the escalating attacks from wild animals. By instinct, tigers resort to dispersal to create their own space by hunting and reproducing.

Per the latest all-india tiger estimate, one-fifth of India’s tiger area spanning 16 tiger reserves harbours only 25 or less than 1% of India’s 3,682 tigers. There’s a whole lot of room for improvement. Strong wildlife protection legislation backed by the support of the states would go a long way in ensuring the big cats are given a fighting chance to thrive.