India's tiger population has increased by a third in the last four years to almost 3,000 animals, according to a national survey.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the results Monday to mark International Tiger Day, the same day video emerged of the politician traveling around the Indian countryside with British survival expert Bear Grylls.

There were 2,967 tigers in India in 2018, according to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), which performs the survey.

This represents a 33% increase compared to the last survey in 2014, according to a statement from the NTCA, and continues population growth that has been observed since 2006.

Fewer than 4,000 tigers remain on Earth, according to the World Wildlife Fund says. Most live in reservations in India, where killing a tiger can result in jail time.

Modi, who will appear in a special edition of Gryll's TV show "Man Vs Wild" to be aired August 12, said the results show India is one of the world's biggest and most secure habitats for tigers.

Grylls tweeted a teaser video of the program in which he and Modi can be seen exploring the Indian wilderness.

"People across 180 countries will get to see the unknown side of PM @narendramodi as he ventures into Indian wilderness to create awareness about animal conservation & environmental change," wrote Grylls.

On his own Twitter account, Modi posted a series of tweets arguing that environmental considerations do not need to hold back India's economic development.

While infrastructure projects have continued to be built, India has seen an increase in both forest cover and the number of protected areas, said Modi.

There were 692 such areas in 2014, increasing to 860 in 2019, according to a statement.

As a result, Modi maintains India doesn't have to choose between development and environmental protections.

"In our policies, in our economics, we have to change the conversation about conservation," he added. </s> FILE- In this May 5, 2009 file photo, a tiger cools off at its enclosure at the zoo in Ahmadabad, India. India’s tiger population has grown to nearly 3,000, making the country one of the safest habitats for the endangered animals. Prime Minister Narendra Modi says it’s a “historic achievement” for India as the big cat’s population had dwindled to 1,400 about 14-15 years ago. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki, File)

NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s tiger population has grown to nearly 3,000, making the country one of the safest habitats for the endangered animals.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the tiger count for 2018 on Monday and said it’s a “historic achievement” for India, whose big cat population had dwindled to 1,400 about 14-15 years ago.

India estimates its tiger population every four years. Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said the tiger population was 2,226 in the last count, in 2014.

The tiger is India’s national animal and is categorized as endangered under the Wildlife Protection Act.

The human conflict with tigers has gradually increased since the 1970s, when India started a tiger conservation program that carved out sanctuaries in national parks and made it a crime to kill them.

“With around 3,000 tigers, India has emerged as of one of the biggest and safest habitats for them in the world,” Modi said, praising all the stakeholders involved in the country’s tiger conservation exercise.

“Nine years ago, it was decided in St. Petersburg (Russia) that the target of doubling the tiger population would be 2022. We in India completed this target four years in advance,” Modi said.

He also said that the number of protected areas in the country rose to 860 last year from 692 in 2014. Similarly, the number of community reserves has gone up to 100 from 43 in 2014.

Belinda Wright, founder of the Wildlife Protection Society of India, based in New Delhi, said India should be very proud of its conservation achievement as the latest study was a much larger and more thorough estimation of the tiger population than had previously been done.

“But we still have a long way to go to secure a long-term future for wild tigers,” she cautioned, adding that human-tiger conflict was one of the biggest conservation challenges because India has so many people.

The conflict between wildlife, confined to ever-shrinking forests and grasslands, and India’s human population is deadly. Government data show about one person is killed every day by tigers or elephants.

Last week, some enraged villagers chased and killed a tiger with sticks after it killed a woman working in a farm in the northern Indian village of Khiri. The region is part of the Pilibhit Tiger Range, forest officer Vivek Tiwari said.

Tiwari said the police have arrested four villagers. The area is around 350 kilometers (215 miles) east of New Delhi.

Wright said the government should not relax any protection measure and should avoid “huge linear intrusions, including highways, railways, electric power line and canals through protected areas, as this leads to increased human-tiger conflict.”

India’s elephants and tigers are some of the most hunted animals in the country, sought for their ivory tusks or bones that are sold on the black market for use in unproven, traditional Chinese medicine. Elephants are also threatened by moving trains. </s> New Delhi – India’s tiger population has grown to nearly 3,000, making the country one of the safest habitats for the endangered animals.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the tiger count for 2018 on Monday and said it’s a “historic achievement” for India, whose big cat population had dwindled to 1,400 about 14-15 years ago.

India estimates its tiger population every four years. Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said the tiger population was 2,226 in the last count, in 2014.

The tiger is India’s national animal and is categorized as endangered under the Wildlife Protection Act.

The human conflict with tigers has gradually increased since the 1970s, when India started a tiger conservation program that carved out sanctuaries in national parks and made it a crime to kill them.

“With around 3,000 tigers, India has emerged as of one of the biggest and safest habitats for them in the world,” Modi said, praising all the stakeholders involved in the country’s tiger conservation exercise.

“Nine years ago, it was decided in St. Petersburg (Russia) that the target of doubling the tiger population would be 2022. We in India completed this target four years in advance,” Modi said.

He also said that the number of protected areas in the country rose to 860 last year from 692 in 2014. Similarly, the number of community reserves has gone up to 100 from 43 in 2014.

Belinda Wright, founder of the Wildlife Protection Society of India, based in New Delhi, said India should be very proud of its conservation achievement as the latest study was a much larger and more thorough estimation of the tiger population than had previously been done.

“But we still have a long way to go to secure a long-term future for wild tigers,” she cautioned, adding that human-tiger conflict was one of the biggest conservation challenges because India has so many people.

The conflict between wildlife, confined to ever-shrinking forests and grasslands, and India’s human population is deadly. Government data show about one person is killed every day by tigers or elephants. </s> New Delhi: India´s wild tiger population has increased by more than 30 percent in the last four years, according to a new census released Monday, raising hopes for the survival of the endangered species.

The census found 2,967 tigers in the wild across the country, up from 2,226 four years ago in what Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed as a "historic achievement"

"We reaffirm our commitment towards protecting the tiger," Modi said in Delhi as he released the All India Tiger Estimation Report 2018.

"Some 15 years ago, there was serious concern about the decline in the population of tigers. It was a big challenge for us but with determination, we have achieved our goals."

The massive surveys are conducted every four years, with the latest census spanning 15 months and using 26,000 camera traps that took almost 350,000 images across known tiger habitats, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said at the census release.

Images that showed the big cats were analysed using computer programmes to individually identify each creature. Wildlife and forestry officials also scoured 380,000 square kilometres of terrain.

In 1900, more than 100,000 tigers were estimated to roam the planet. But that fell to a record low of 3,200 globally in 2010.

That year, India and 12 other countries with tiger populations signed an agreement to double their big cat numbers by 2022.

Population numbers in the nation have risen steadily since falling to its lowest-recorded figure of 1,411 in 2006.

But they are yet to return to the figures recorded in 2002 when some 3,700 tigers were estimated to be alive in the country.

It is believed some 40,000 tigers lived in India at the time of independence from Britain in 1947.

Wildlife experts lauded the government effort and said the rise in numbers heralded a new chapter in the conservation of the big cats in India.

"The scale and magnitude of the assessment is unparalleled globally," Global Tiger Forum secretary general Rajesh Gopal said.

Authorities across Asia are waging a major battle against poachers, who often sell tiger body parts to the lucrative traditional Chinese medicine market, as well as other man-made problems such as habitat loss.

New Delhi has sought to improve its management of the predator, reserving 50 habitats -- from Himalayan foothills in the northeast to regions in west and central India -- exclusively for the animals.

But at the same time, the country´s growing population has increasingly encroached into the territory of the wild animals, pushing them into frequent conflict with humans.

More than 60 tigers have died or been killed so far this year across India, according to government figures.

Last week, a tigress was beaten to death by a mob a day after it mauled to death a person and injured eight others.

Another tigress, and her two cubs, died last month after villagers poisoned the carcass of a cow it had hunted a day earlier.

Around 30 people were killed by tigers in India last year, according to the government. </s> The number of tigers in India has increased in recent years

India's tiger population has grown to nearly 3,000 and has been described by the country's prime minister as a "historic achievement".

India estimates its tiger population every few years and the number for 2018 was released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.

The tiger population was 2,226 in 2014 and just 1,400 about 15 years ago.

Mr Modi said the number of protected areas for tigers rose from 692 in 2014 to 860 last year while the number of community reserves went from 43 to 100 over the same period.

"With around 3,000 tigers, India has emerged as of one of the biggest and safest habitats for them in the world," he said.

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Belinda Wright, founder of the Wildlife Protection Society of India, based in New Delhi, said India "still has a long way to go to secure a long-term future for wild tigers".

But she also said India should, nevertheless, be pleased with the results of what was the largest and most thorough estimation of the tiger population.

The conflict between humans and tigers has made tiger conservation more difficult in recent decades.

Progress has been made since the country started a tiger conservation programme in the 1970s, with the creation of sanctuaries in national parks. It has also been a crime to kill the endangered creatures.

But, as India's cities and towns expand into tiger habitats, the country's national animal has struggled to adapt.

Ms Wright said India should avoid "huge linear intrusions, including highways, railways, electric power line and canals through protected areas, as this leads to increased human-tiger conflict".

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On average, one person is killed each day by tigers or elephants, according to the government, and just last week residents of the northern village of Khiri killed a tiger with sticks after it killed a woman.

Tigers and elephants are also still hunted for body parts used in traditional Chinese medicine. </s> India's wild tiger population has increased by more than 30 per cent in just four years, according to a new census released Monday, raising hopes for the survival of the endangered species.

The census found 2,967 tigers in the wild across the country, up from 2,226 four years ago in what Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed as a "historic achievement"

"We reaffirm our commitment towards protecting the tiger," Modi said in Delhi as he released the All India Tiger Estimation Report 2018.

"Some 15 years ago, there was serious concern about the decline in the population of tigers. It was a big challenge for us but with determination, we have achieved our goals."

The massive surveys are conducted every four years, with the latest census using 26,000 camera traps that took almost 350,000 images across known tiger habitats, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said at the census release.

Images that showed the big cats were analysed using computer programmes to individually identify each creature. Wildlife and forestry officials also scoured 380,000 square kilometres of terrain.

In 1900, more than 100,000 tigers were estimated to roam the planet. But that fell to a record low of 3,200 globally in 2010.

That year, India and 12 other countries with tiger populations signed an agreement to double their big cat numbers by 2022.

Population numbers in the nation have risen steadily since falling to its lowest-recorded figure of 1,411 in 2006.

But they are yet to return to the figures recorded in 2002 when some 3,700 tigers were estimated to be alive in the country.

It is believed some 40,000 tigers lived in India at the time of independence from Britain in 1947.

Since then, the indiscriminate killing of the animal for its organs has led to a sharp decline, bringing them to the edge of extinction.

India's growing population has also increasingly eaten into the territory of wild animals, pushing them into conflict with humans.

New Delhi has sought to improve its management of the predator, reserving 50 habitats - from Himalayan foothills in the northeast to regions in west and central India - exclusively for the animals. </s> In 2010, India sought to double its tiger population by 2022. But on International Tiger Day, the country announced it met its goal four years earlier than expected.

Nearly 3,000 tigers now reside in India, that's more than 70% of the world's tiger population.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the 2018 All India Tiger Estimation count on Monday, attributing the figures to India's hardworking wildlife officials and advocates.

"Once the people of India decide to do something, there is no force that can prevent them from getting the desired results," Modi announced at a news conference. "Today we reaffirm our commitment towards protecting tigers."

He added that India now takes the lead in being the biggest and safest habitat in the world for tigers. The population, now at 2,967, is up from 2,226 since 2014.

"There are several plants and animals out there that need our help," Modi said. "What is it that we can do? Either through technology or human action to give them ... a life so that they can add beauty and diversity to our planet."

After learning that there were a limited amount of tigers left in the world, India decided to strengthen the conservation of tigers in its country. In an effort to protect the endangered species, the National Tiger Conservation Authority was created to count the population.

The recent survey, believed to be the world's largest effort invested in any wildlife, has been conducted every four years since 2006 when the tiger count was at an all-time low of 1,411. Taking into account "carnivore signs" and prey estimation, the 2018 census was carried out using more than 26,000 camera traps across known tiger habitats. Thousands of wildlife foresters and scientists also set out on foot to cover half a million square kilometers to collect physical signs of tiger markings.

According to the report, the state of Madhya Pradesh had the highest number with 526 tigers, closely followed by Karnataka with 524 and Uttarakhand with 442 tigers.

"This news brings us another step closer to securing a future for one of the world's most iconic species and is further proof that tiger recovery is possible when political will and the right conditions exist," the World Wide Fund said in a statement.

Senior Vice President Ginette Hemley told NPR that these numbers suggest the government's investments in tiger conservation — on-the-ground monitoring, research regarding tiger distribution, habitat and other survival needs — are really paying off.

"They also focus a lot on the issues around the interface of communities that live in the buffer zones around these tiger reserves to ensure that people and tigers are able to live compatibly together as best as they can."

Since 2006, tigers sightings increased at a rate of 6% per year in India, which Hemley says may signal that the tiger population is headed in the right direction.

On the other hand, this past week a female tiger was beaten to death by a mob of villagers in India who claimed the animal attacked local people. As a result, the police have filed a First Information Report against more than 40 people, according to the Times of India.

Last year, a man-eating tigress in India was hunted and shot dead after a huge hunt. The female tiger, which evaded capture for 2 years, was said to have been responsible for killing 13 people.

Hemley estimates that the world has lost around 95% of tigers that once lived on the planet. Tigers are found in about a dozen countries across Asia yet there are currently fewer than 4,000 tigers left in the wild, she says.

Remaining tigers face constant threats from retaliatory killings, habitat loss and poaching — body parts such as whiskers, teeth and skin are sold on the black market and used in traditional Chinese medicine. The tigers are forced to compete with growing human populations for space.

Hemley said she is hopeful that countries can turn the situation around and prevent the endangered species from becoming extinct. She adds that a tiger plays an important role in regulating the ecology of a given area which is a "big deal to the health of our planet."

"When the tiger recovers, you're not only seeing the recovery of that species but you're also protecting large areas ... and so we're able to help conserve literally hundreds if not thousands of other species," she said.

During his speech, the prime minister expressed confidence that India would prosper both economically and environmentally without harming wildlife.

"India will build more roads and India will have cleaner rivers. India will have better train connectivity and also greater tree coverage. India will build more homes for our citizens and at the same time create quality habitats for animals," Modi said. </s> An estimated 80,000 tigers were killed in India between 1875 and 1925 ALAMY

India’s tiger population has increased by a third in four years, bringing the animal back from the brink of extinction.

The census results, a success for government conservation efforts, were unveiled this morning by Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister. They showed that the tiger population rose to 2,967 last year, from 2,226 in 2014.

The tiger is India’s national animal and the country is home to 70 per cent of the world’s tigers. Successive governments have led the effort to save the animal, with Mr Modi hailing the “historic achievement” since the last census four years ago. The results proved that India was “now one of the biggest and most secure habitats of the tiger”, he said.

“Nine years ago, it was decided in St… </s> According to a government estimate, there are nearly 3,000 Bengal tigers in the wild in India, a 33% increase since 2014. Wildlife experts say better safety monitoring and stricter wildlife policies have helped the tiger population grow to its largest in about two decades.

“Once the people of India decide to do something, there is no force that can prevent them from getting the desired results,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at a news conference Monday announcing the figures.

But as the number of tigers has increased, so have the human-tiger conflicts in India, a country of 1.3 billion.

India has created nearly two dozen tiger reserves in the past decade, but many are surrounded by villages. As development projects shrink the space separating humans and tigers, the animals are spilling out of reserves in search of prey — wild pigs, cattle and sometimes people.

For more than two years, a female tiger that authorities had named T-1 stalked the hills of central India, where she was blamed for the deaths of at least 13 people. Last fall, hundreds of officers and veterinarian sharpshooters riding elephants tried to tranquilise her. When that failed, T-1 was shot and killed.

Last week, a group of villagers beat a tiger to death in the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, about 200 miles east of New Delhi, after it attacked several people. In a video of the incident that was shared widely, the tiger appeared to be trying to block the blows with its paws. Four people were arrested and charged under a wildlife protection law.

Prerna Singh Bindra, a conservationist and author of “The Vanishing: India’s Wildlife Crisis,” said the country needs “a sound strategy” to avoid human-animal conflicts. “Forests are being fragmented,” she said. “We are saying yes to about 98% of development and other projects in protected areas. If we keep cutting habitats, this tiger utopia is going to come crashing down.”

The tiger census released Monday, which covered nearly 150,000 square miles and tracked “carnivore signs” using thousands of camera traps, found that India’s tiger population rose to 2,967 in 2018, about 700 more than in 2014. The world has only about 4,000 tigers left in the wild.

The report found that tiger populations had increased across India, with the highest number in Madhya Pradesh, a hot, shrubby state with more than 500 cats. Apart from the camera traps, thousands of wildlife officials covered more than 300,000 miles on foot to collect dung samples and take photographs from thick green canopies.

The authors of the report, which was prepared by the central government’s National Tiger Conservation Authority, called it “the world’s largest effort invested in any wildlife survey.”

Modi took the opportunity Monday to highlight the success, saying in a tweet that the tiger census would make “every Indian, every nature lover happy.” The report also coincided with the release of a promotional video for an upcoming episode of Bear Grylls’ popular survival television show “Man Vs. Wild” featuring Modi.

Valmik Thapar, a prominent Indian naturalist and a wild tiger specialist, said the data seemed mostly accurate and suggested a gradual return to numbers from the 1980s, when India’s tiger population hovered around 4,000. He credited the rebound to closer cooperation between state governments and wildlife experts. (Other experts said the increase might relate to improved counting methods.)

But Thapar said there was still a long way to go. Training for conservationists in many states remains “abysmal,” he said.

Thapar said India had yet to realise its potential as a wildlife tourism destination, which would create jobs for some of the same villagers who are currently hostile toward the cats.

And some parts of eastern India are still losing tigers, despite additional funds intended to save them. In several premier reserves, Thapar said, there are “no tigers at all.”

“We need to focus on doing something about these problems,” he said. “We must look after these national treasures.”
The Wildlife Protection Society of India announces that the wild population of tigers in India has increased by a third since 2015 following a comprehensive survey. Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi describes the news as a "historic achievement".