India's tiger population was 3,167 in 2022, the latest tiger census data released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday revealed.
According to the data, the tiger population stood at 1,411 in 2006, 1,706 in 2010, 2,226 in 2014, 2,967 in 2018, and 3,167 in 2022.
The 2018 tiger census, released in July 2019, established the presence of 2,967 tigers in India. The animal population in the country has increased by 200 or 6.7 percent in the last four years.
PM Modi launched the Tiger Census by inaugurating the International Big Cat Alliance in Karnataka's Mysuru, the first of its kind in the country, organized on the 50th anniversary of the Tiger Project.
The three-day conference will focus on protecting and conserving the world's seven most important big cats: tigers, lions, leopards, snow leopards, pumas, jaguars and cheetahs.
India is now home to 75% of the world's tiger population and also the world's largest tiger range country.
In 1900, it was estimated that more than 100,000 tigers roamed the planet, but that number dropped to an all-time low of 3,200 in 2010.
In the past 100 years, the tiger has lost more than 93% of its historic range and now only survives in scattered populations in 13 countries, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
India's Wildlife conservation efforts
In July 2019, the Prime Minister called for a "Global Leaders Alliance" to "kill demand" and firmly curb poaching and illegal wildlife trade in Asia.
India launched the IBCA to focus on the protection and conservation of the world's seven most important big cats: tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, puma, jaguar and cheetah, with members from the range countries that host these species.
India launched 'Project Tiger' on April 1, 1973, promoting tiger conservation. Initially, it covered nine tiger reserves spread over 18,278 square kilometres. Currently, there are 53 tiger reserves covering more than 75,000 km2 (approximately 2.4% of the country's geographic area).
The Prime Minister spent the morning in the picturesque Bandipur Tiger Reserve where he went on a jeep safari and got glimpses of wildlife, natural beauty and biodiversity.
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