Soon after India achieved its independence in 1947 all the uncultivated lands of the princely rulers, including those owned by the Maharaja of Jaipur, reverted to the state to be managed by the Indian Forest Service. In 1957 Ranthambore was declared a National Wildlife Sanctuary. Organizations including the BBC and National Geographic came to film Ranthambore's wildlife. As a result the Park enjoyed a meteoric rise to international prominence and fame as one of the world's premiere locations to see tigers in their natural habitat. Tens of thousands of tourists, both domestic and foreign, now come to Ranthambore National Park every year to enjoy its natural splendor and hopefully catch a glimpse of one of the most threatened and inspiring animals on the planet - the Tiger.
Few people realize the incredible pressures facing India's national parks and sanctuaries.
The Ranthambore story stands as a prime example of this situation. The rural masses' need for basic resources to meet their daily sustenance requirements is the major threat to preserving the integrity of India's natural landscapes and wildlife habitats. Unlike many Western nations, when India set itself to the task of establishing national parks and sanctuaries it did not have any lands remaining that were devoid of people. Thus, to create parks India had to displace people. As India law requires that no human habitation is allowed inside of parks, millions of rural Indians have been rehabilitated to areas outside of these legally designated protected areas.