India can train other nations in tiger conservation: Prakash Javadekar

Hyderabad, Mar 27: Home to 70 per cent of world's tiger population, India is ready to impart training and even donate the big cats to other countries as part of efforts for the conservation of the endangered species, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Friday.

"We have the most advanced standard operating procedures on tiger conservation. We can even give the technology and the capacity building to other countries who want to conserve tiger," he told reporters here.

"Thirteen countries are having tiger population besides those other countries which have forest cover that are suitable for tiger..we can impart training, capacity building and we are even ready to donate tigers if proper care is taken," Union Minster of State for Environment and Forests said, adding "we are in dialogue with (such countries)."

He said India has been the most successful country in preservation and conserving the tigers. India now has 70 per cent of the tiger population in the world. And the number is growing. As per the census report released three months ago, the tiger population was 2,226.

"Now I think we have nearly 2,400 (tigers). Out of this photographs of 1,700 individual tigers have with us," he said. "We are taking special care of orphaned tiger cubs. We are not allowing any tiger to die untimely."

PTI