1,411 tigers left in the wild in India: census

AT STAKE: Despite many tiger reserves, the population of tigers is dwindling, says Census.

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Keywords: Project Tiger, Census

New Delhi: Project tiger was started in 1973 to save the dwindling populations of tigers.

Many years and many Tiger Censuses later there doesn't seem to be much to write home about.

This in spite of the fact that the number of tiger reserves has tripled since Project Tiger began. The 2006 tiger Census reveals that:

• In 1972, a year before Project Tiger began there were 1,827 tigers in India.
• In 1997 the Tiger Census showed that there were 3,507 tigers.

• And in 2006 the official estimate of the number of tigers is 1,411 only.

A look at some broad trends

Tiger Sanctuaries like Corbett National Park in Uttaranchal and Bandipur, and Nagarhole in Karnataka are safe havens with the number of tigers in these areas remaining more or less the same.

Central and Western India was supposed to be a safe haven for tigers, but the latest Tiger Census shows that the number of Tigers in Madhya Pradesh have almost halved in the last five-six years.

Sanctuaries in Madhya Pradesh like Panna and Kanha and even Melghat in Maharashtra have witnessed a drastic reduction in the number of tigers.

Present situation

• Today there are 28 tiger reserves in the country spread across 17 states.
• Central India once best habitat for tigers has noted sharp decline as per latest reports.
• New methodology for counting tigers was introduced in 2006 using camera traps.
• As per last census in 2002 tigers were estimated to be 3500.
• After poaching outbreak in Sariska all tigers were wiped out here.

What the states say?

Madhya Pradesh

2002 – 710

2006 – 300

Orissa

2002 – 173

2006 - 45

Maharashtra

2002 – 238

2006 - 103

Andhra Pradesh

2002 - 192

2006 – 95

Chattisgarh

2002 – 227

2006 – 26