Lok Sabha Question No. 5110 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-04-03
Subject: Tiger Population
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Debasree Chaudhuri

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.  5110

TO BE ANSWERED ON  03.04.2023

## Tiger Population

## 5110. MS. DEBASREE CHAUDHURI:

Will the MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of tiger population in country over the last five years and number of tigers out of their population living in tiger-reserves, State-wise;
- (b) the  details  of  measures  taken  by  the  Government  to  increase  the  population  of  tigers living in protected reserves;
- (c) the number of tiger deaths owing to man-made causes during the last five years, Statewise along with causes that led to tiger deaths;
- (d) whether the Government has taken cognizance of rising tiger deaths in country;
- (e) if so, the details of measures taken by the Government to curb tiger deaths; and
- (f) arrests made during the last five years in relation to tiger poaching after investigations?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

- (a) The quadrennial All India Tiger Estimation Exercise which assesses the Status of Tigers,  Co-predators  and  Prey  using  robust  scientific  methodology,  has  shown that the tiger number has increased as per the latest estimation done in 2018, with an estimated number of 2967 (range 2603-3346) as compared to 2014 estimation of 2226 (range 1945-2491).  As per Report of Status of Tigers, Copredators and Prey  in  India,  2018,  the  population  estimates  of  tigers  in  tiger  reserves  are  at Annexure-I.
- (b) Funding assistance is provided under the ongoing Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Project Tiger to tiger range States for conservation of tigers, raising awareness on tiger &  other wildlife conservation, habitat management, protection, ecodevelopment,  human resource  and  infrastructure  development,  voluntary  village relocation, as per sanctioned Annual Plan of Operation of the Tiger Reserve and Utilisation Certificate duly submitted by the State Government.
- (c) The  average  life  span  of  the  tigers  in  the  wild  is  generally  10-12  years  and  in natural ecosystem factors like old age, diseases, internecine fights, electrocution, snaring, drowning, road, rail hits etc. and a very high infant mortality observed in big  cats  including  tigers  accounts  for  majority  of  tiger  deaths.  As  reported  by States,  the  details  of  tiger  mortality  during  last  five  years  (2018-2022)  are  at Annexure-II.
- (d) & (e) The Government of India, through the National Tiger Conservation Authority, has advocated a three pronged strategy to manage human-tiger negative interactions as follows:-
- (i) Material  and  logistical  support: Funding  support  through  the  ongoing Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Project Tiger, is provided to tiger reserves for acquiring capacity in terms of infrastructure and material, to deal with tigers dispersing out of source areas.  These are solicited by tiger reserves through an Annual Plan of Operation (APO) every year which stems out from  an  overarching  Tiger  Conservation  Plan  (TCP),  mandated  under Section 38 V of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Inter alia, activities such  as  payment  of  ex-gratia  and  compensation,  periodic  awareness campaigns  to  sensitize,  guide  and  advise  the  general  populace  on  mananimal  conflict,  dissemination  of  information  through  various  forms  of media,  procurement  of  immobilization  equipment,  drugs,  training  and capacity building of forest staff to deal with conflict events are generally solicited.
- (ii) Restricting  habitat  interventions :  Based  on  the  carrying  capacity  of tigers  in  a  tiger  reserve,  habitat  interventions  are  restricted  through  an overarching TCP.  In case tiger numbers are at carrying capacity levels, it is  advised  that  habitat  interventions  should  be  limited  so  that  there  is  no excessive spill over of wildlife including tigers thereby minimizing mananimal  conflict.   Further,  in  buffer  areas  around  tiger  reserves,  habitat interventions  are  restricted  such  that  they  are  sub-optimal  vis-à-vis  the core/critical  tiger habitat  areas, judicious  enough to facilitate dispersal to other rich habitat areas only.
- (iii) Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs): The National Tiger Conservation  Authority  has  issued  following  three  SOPs  to  deal  with human-animal conflict, which are available in public domain:

i.  To  deal  with  emergency  arising  due  to  straying  of  tigers  in  human dominated landscapes ii. To deal with tiger depredation on livestock

iii.  For  active  management  towards  rehabilitation  of  tigers  from  source areas at the landscape level.

The three SOPs inter alia include the issue of managing dispersing tigers, managing livestock kills so as to reduce conflict as well as relocating tigers from source areas to areas where density of tiger is low, so that conflict in rich source areas does not occur.

Also as per Tiger Conservation Plans need based and site-specific management  interventions  are  done  for  improving  quality  of  wildlife  habitat  for which  funding  is  provided  under  the  ongoing  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme  of Project Tiger.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) along with the Wildlife Institute  of  India  has  published  a  document  'Eco-Friendly  measures  to  mitigate impacts of Linear infrastructure on wildlife', in letter and spirit of section 38 O (1) (g) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 to safeguard wildlife and tigers from road /rail accidents in interlinking / corridor areas.

32 major tiger corridors in the country have been identified and published in a  document  titled  'Connecting  Tiger  Populations  for  Long-term  Conservation', which  are  operationalized  through  prescriptions  of  Tiger  Conservation  Plans mandated under section 38V of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

- (f) The day to day management and implementation of the Wildlife (Protection) Act is done by the States.  Information on persons arrested on account of tiger poaching is not collated at the Central Government level.

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## Annexure-I

## ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (a)  OF  THE  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5110 ON TIGER POPULATION DUE FOR REPLY ON 03.04.2023

## As per Report of Status of Tigers, Copredators and Prey in India, 2018, Population estimates of tigers in tiger reserves

| Sl. No.                            | State                              | Tiger Reserves                     | Tiger Numbers including tiger utilizing the Tiger Reserve   |
|------------------------------------|------------------------------------|------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|
| Shivalik Hills and Gangetic Plains | Shivalik Hills and Gangetic Plains | Shivalik Hills and Gangetic Plains | Shivalik Hills and Gangetic Plains                          |
| 1.                                 | Bihar                              | Valmiki                            | 33                                                          |
| 2.                                 | Uttar Pradesh                      | Dudhwa                             | 107                                                         |
| 3.                                 | Uttar Pradesh                      | Pilibhit                           | 65                                                          |
| 4.                                 | Uttarakhand                        | Corbett                            | 266                                                         |
| 5.                                 | Uttarakhand                        | Rajaji                             | 52                                                          |
| Central India and Eastern Ghats    | Central India and Eastern Ghats    | Central India and Eastern Ghats    | Central India and Eastern Ghats                             |
| 6.                                 | Andhra Pradesh                     | Nagarjunasagar Srisailam           | 43                                                          |
| 7.                                 | Chhattisgarh                       | Achanakmar                         | 5                                                           |
| 8.                                 | Chhattisgarh                       | Indravati                          | 3                                                           |
| 9.                                 | Chhattisgarh                       | Udanti-Sitanadi                    | 1                                                           |
| 10.                                | Jharkhand                          | Palamau                            | -                                                           |
| 11.                                | Madhya Pradesh                     | Bandhavgarh                        | 124                                                         |
| 12.                                | Madhya Pradesh                     | Kanha                              | 108                                                         |
| 13.                                | Madhya Pradesh                     | Panna                              | 31                                                          |
| 14.                                | Madhya Pradesh                     | Pench                              | 87                                                          |
| 15.                                | Madhya Pradesh                     | Satpuda                            | 47                                                          |
| 16.                                | Madhya Pradesh                     | Sanjay-Dubri                       | 6                                                           |
| 17.                                | Maharashtra                        | Bor                                | 6                                                           |
| 18.                                | Maharashtra                        | Melghat                            | 49                                                          |
| 19.                                | Maharashtra                        | Navegaon Nagzira                   | 6                                                           |
| 20.                                | Maharashtra                        | Pench                              | 82                                                          |
| 21.                                | Maharashtra                        | Sahyadri                           | 3                                                           |

| 22.                             | Maharashtra                     | Tadoba                          | 106                             |
|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
| 23.                             | Odisha                          | Satkosia                        | 1                               |
| 24.                             | Odisha                          | Similipal                       | 12                              |
| 25.                             | Rajasthan                       | Mukundra                        | 1                               |
| 26.                             | Rajasthan                       | Ranthambore                     | 55                              |
| 27.                             | Rajasthan                       | Sariska                         | 11                              |
| 28.                             | Telangana                       | Amrabad                         | 9                               |
| 29.                             | Telangana                       | Kawal                           | 1                               |
| Western Ghats                   | Western Ghats                   | Western Ghats                   | Western Ghats                   |
| 30.                             | Karnataka                       | Bandipur                        | 173                             |
| 31.                             | Karnataka                       | Bhadra                          | 38                              |
| 32.                             | Karnataka                       | Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple      | 86                              |
| 33.                             | Karnataka                       | Anshi Dandeli (Kali)            | 11                              |
| 34.                             | Karnataka                       | Nagarahole                      | 164                             |
| 35.                             | Kerala                          | Parambikulam                    | 33                              |
| 36.                             | Kerala                          | Periyar                         | 33                              |
| 37.                             | Tamil Nadu                      | Anamalai                        | 25                              |
| 38.                             | Tamil Nadu                      | Kalakad Mundanthurai (KMTR)     | 8                               |
| 39.                             | Tamil Nadu                      | Mudumalai                       | 162                             |
| 40.                             | Tamil Nadu                      | Sathyamangalam                  | 126                             |
| NE Hills and Brahmaputra Plains | NE Hills and Brahmaputra Plains | NE Hills and Brahmaputra Plains | NE Hills and Brahmaputra Plains |
| 41.                             | Arunachal Pradesh               | Kamlang                         | 4                               |
| 42.                             | Arunachal Pradesh               | Namdapha                        | 11                              |
| 43.                             | Arunachal Pradesh               | Pakke                           | 3                               |
| 44.                             | Assam                           | Kaziranga                       | 135                             |
| 45.                             | Assam                           | Manas                           | 31                              |
| 46.                             | Assam                           | Nameri                          | 3                               |
| 47.                             | Assam                           | Orang                           | 21                              |
| 48.                             | Mizoram                         | Dampa                           | -                               |
| 49.                             | West Bengal                     | Buxa                            | -                               |
| Sundarban                       | Sundarban                       | Sundarban                       |                                 |
| 50.                             | West Bengal                     | Sundarban                       | 106                             |
| Total                           | Total                           | Total                           | 2493                            |
| Tigers outside Tiger Reserves   | Tigers outside Tiger Reserves   | Tigers outside Tiger Reserves   | 474                             |
| Grand Total                     | Grand Total                     | Grand Total                     | 2967                            |

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Annexure-II

ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (c)  OF  THE  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5110 ON TIGER POPULATION DUE FOR REPLY ON 03.04.2023

Number of tiger deaths in the country as reported by States, during last 5 years (20182022)

|   Year |   Natural and other causes |   Confirmed poaching |   Unnatural but not poaching |
|--------|----------------------------|----------------------|------------------------------|
|   2018 |                         53 |                   44 |                            4 |
|   2019 |                         66 |                   27 |                            3 |
|   2020 |                         90 |                   15 |                            1 |
|   2021 |                        101 |                   18 |                            8 |
|   2022 |                        108 |                   10 |                            3 |

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