International Tiger Day 2023

International Tiger Day: Saving the Big Cat in India with Project Tiger

On April 1, 1973, the Indira Gandhi administration introduced Project Tiger in an effort to advance tiger protection. As a result of unrestricted hunting and habitat degradation, the number of tigers in India was at an all-time low and was declining quickly at the time.

In an effort to increase public awareness of numerous tiger conservation-related concerns, today, July 29, is observed as International Tiger Day. The 13 nations that make up the tiger range initially established Tx2—the worldwide target to double the population of wild tigers by the year 2022—in 2010 at the Tiger Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Tx2's objectives were supposed to be completed by last year, however there was unequal development. While Southeast Asian nations struggled to stop population loss, others, including India, did far better, according to the World Wildlife Fund. "Political commitment is perhaps the most important component in successful tiger conservation," stated Ginette Hemley, Senior Vice President for Wildlife Conservation, WWF-US, in 2022. "As we have found in the countries where tigers are recovering, political commitment is perhaps the most important ingredient in tiger conservation." "Like other cats, tigers reproduce successfully when given ample room, prey, and safety. When governments, communities, conservation groups, and other partners collaborate, we have demonstrated that recovery is possible. The accomplishments in India may be primarily credited to Project Tiger, which earlier this year marked its 50th anniversary.

How Project Tiger Came About

On April 1, 1973, the Central government began Project Tiger in an effort to encourage tiger conservation. The program was launched at a time when the number of tigers in India was quickly declining. According to sources, there were 40,000 tigers in the country when it gained its independence (in 1947), but due to extensive poaching and habitat destruction, their numbers quickly fell to about 2,000 by 1970.

When the International Union for Conservation of Nature listed the tiger as an endangered species in 1970, worries about the situation grew more serious. The Indian government conducted its own tiger census two years later and discovered that there were only 1,800 remained in the entire nation.

The Wildlife Protection Act was enacted in 1972 by the then-prime minister Indira Gandhi to address the issue of hunting and poaching of not just tigers but also other animals and birds. A year later, Indira revealed Project Tiger when a task committee recommended that the government establish a network of reserves devoted to the preservation of tigers.

What is Project Tiger?

The program was initially launched in nine tiger reserves across nine different States, including Assam, Bihar, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal, totaling more than 14,000 square kilometers.

Notably, Project Tiger wasn't just concerned with protecting huge cats. As tigers are at the top of the food chain, it also ensured the preservation of their natural habitat. The tiger cannot be protected in isolation, Indira said in a statement to launch the program. It is at the pinnacle of a sizable and intricate biotope. It must first be protected against human interference, industrial forestry, and livestock grazing that threatens its habitat.