India Doubles its Tiger Population in 10 years

Tigers are making a huge comeback in India and that is something to roar about. Bold conservation policies have led to the doubling of the tiger population in just a decade.

India has the largest tiger population in the world, reported the BBC, and these big cats inhabit an area of just 138,200 sq km (53,360 sq miles) and share the space with 60 million people.

The increase in tiger population was due to an effort to protect the tigers from poaching, habitat preservation, and by reducing the contact between the animals and people, according to a recent study published in Science.

Keeping Tabs on Tigers
India has been keeping tabs on tigers since 2006, by surveying population , habitat, and the distribution of the big cats every four years, explained BBC. In that time, tiger habitat has grown by 30 percent.

While tigers have thrived in protected areas, they have also lived in areas near farms and settlements outside of national parks and tiger preserves. The interactions between the big cats and humans have varied in different regions.

“We think human densities are detrimental to conservation of large carnivores [like tigers]. But more than density it is the attitude of people that matters,” Yadvendradev Vikramsinh Jhala, the study’s lead author, told BBC.

In areas that are poorer, like Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and parts of northeast India, where there is a lot of bushmeat hunting or poaching, tigers are endangered or extinct. But in areas that are economically prosperous, where people benefit from tiger-related tourism, the big cats are thriving.

Going Forward
The researchers found that even with the tiger population rebounding, India still has room for even more of the big cats, reported The Better India.  This is good for the tigers and for the people who live near them in areas like Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. That’s because when an area gets more prosperous, people have the economic means to care about conservation.

While the interaction between big cats and people can be dangerous with 35 people dying each year from tiger attacks. But over 150 people a year die from attacks from leopards. Statistically, more people are likely to die in car accidents in tiger habitats, than from being attacked by these wild animals.

Animal populations can thrive if there is the right balance between helping people and protecting habitats. This study has shown that if people care about wildlife and work together, endangered animals can be saved even in areas with dense populations.