Tigers still live in the wild in only 13 countries, most of them in India. 50 years after the start of a protection program, the population there has grown to more than 3,000 animals. However, indigenous peoples criticize the consequences for their habitat.

For the first time in a decade and a half, more than 3,000 tigers live in the wild in India. According to a recent census, 3,167 tigers have been recorded in the wild across the country. This corresponds to an increase of 200 animals compared to the previous census in 2019. The number of endangered animals is regularly determined using camera traps.

50 years after India launched a conservation programme, 75% of the world’s recorded tigers live in the country, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at an event marking the anniversary.

“India is a country where nature conservation is part of our culture,” Modi said. The count that has just been published is a “moment of pride” for his country and a success for the whole world.

In 1900 there were still 100,000 tigers in the world

However, compared to the previous four-year period, the growth rate of tiger numbers has slowed from 30% to 7%. In addition, the population is still extremely low compared to previous decades. It is estimated that in 1947 there were still around 40,000 tigers living in India.

An estimated 100,000 tigers were still alive in the world in 1900. This number has dropped by more than 93% over the past 100 years. Tigers still live in the wild in only 13 countries.

Besides India, Russia, China and several countries in South and Southeast Asia are also called “Tiger countries”. They agreed to protect the animals. In 2010, India and the 12 other countries where tigers live in the wild signed an agreement to double the number of these wild cats by 2022. “India failed to double, but India’s development is an unprecedented achievement,” said WWF tiger expert Markus Raddey.

Tigers have religious significance

In predominantly Hindu India, tigers also have religious significance. The government also recognizes the importance of tigers for wildlife tourism. Tiger hunting was banned in the 1970s and prey is hunted less in the country than in other countries due to a strong vegetarian tradition.

The government is also taking steps to defuse conflict. For example, people who lose relatives or livestock to tigers are compensated. Because more tigers can also mean more conflict with humans. With the deforestation of forests, human settlements are sometimes very close to predators. According to the WWF, the tiger’s global range has shrunk by 95% over the past 100 years.

Natives criticize the consequences for their habitat

The anniversary of the protection program was not only seen as a reason to celebrate in India. On the anniversary, protesters were keen to highlight how they have been moved by wildlife protection measures over the past decades. Dozens took part in a demonstration.

Project Tiger, which began in 1973, was preceded by a census which revealed that tigers were increasingly at risk of extinction. The reasons were habitat loss, unregulated recreational hunting, increased poaching, and retaliatory attacks from humans. It was decided to create protected areas for the project.

However, the protective measures forced many communities that had long lived in the affected forests to leave their homes, according to indigenous groups.