Roar of applause

Indian Tiger Population Goes Up by 30 Per Cent

New Delhi: Tiger population in the country has risen to 2,226 in 2014, a 30 per cent increase since the last count in 2010, the latest census report on Tuesday. Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar while releasing the country-wide tiger assessment report for 2014, termed the increase in the number of tigers as a "success story" and noted that while the population of this wild animal is falling in the world, it is rising in India.

"When we last counted the tigers, it was 1,706. The latest estimation shows there are 2,226 tigers. We must be proud of our legacy. We have increased by 30 per cent from the last count. That is a huge success story," Javadekar said. The total number of tigers was estimated to be around 1,706 in 2010. Tiger population had dipped to an alarming 1,411 in 2006 but has improved since then.

Officials said that a total of 3,78,118 sq km of forest area in 18 tiger states were surveyed with a total of 1,540 unique tiger photo captures. “Most of the tigers in the world are presently in India. We have the world's best managed tiger reserves," Javadekar said.

On the pattern of China's Panda diplomacy, India will donate tiger cubs to countries that may need them as part of global efforts for conservation of the wild cats whose number has seen a significant jump lately, the minister said. "Many countries have asked us for help. It is because the world has understood that there is a need to save this species which may become extinct... Whichever country wants tigers from us or wants our cooperation (for tiger conservation), we are ready to give both," Javadekar said.

The report said that the total estimated population of tigers was somewhere around 1,945-2491 (2,226) as per 2014 report while as per the 2010 report, it was between 1,520 and 1909. The third round of country level tiger assessment using the refined methodology of doubling sampling using camera traps has recorded an increase in tiger population. "In 2006, the mid value of such a (once in four years) snap shot assessment using the same methodology was 1,411, in 2010 it was 1,706 and now in 2014, it stands at 2,226.

This is an increase of almost 30.5 per cent since the last estimate," an official statement said. Officials said that a total of 3,78,118 sq km of forest area in 18 tiger states were surveyed with a total of 1,540 unique tiger photo captures. Tiger population has increased in several states like Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerela, officials said.