International Tiger Day 2020: India has 70 per cent of global tiger population

New Delhi, July 29: India with 70 per cent of the world's tiger population roars the loudest today.

The tiger population across the globe declined sharply since the beginning of the 20th century but now for the first time in conservation history, their numbers are on the rise.

After releasing a report on tiger census ahead of International Tiger Day on July 29, in good news for India, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday said, "Tiger is an incredible part of nature and the increased number of the big cats in India reflects equilibrium in nature".

"Tigers and other wildlife are a kind of soft power India has to show on the international front. Despite several constraints such as less landmass, India has eight per cent of bio-diversity because our country has a culture of saving and preserving nature, trees and its wildlife. It is praiseworthy that India has 70 per cent of the world's tiger population. India is tirelessly working with all 13 tiger range countries towards nurturing the tiger," also said Javadekar.

As nearly 30 per cent of India's tigers found outside tiger reserves, India is now working to extend tiger reserve to 50 across the country.

Project Tiger was launched in 1973 with just 9 tiger reserves. Today, India has 50 reserves having 2967 tigers.
Tiger sits at the peak of the food chain and the increased numbers is a testimony of the robust bio-diversity. #IndiasTigerSuccess #InternationalTigerDay #TigerDay pic.twitter.com/pmEEsWInee

— Prakash Javadekar (@PrakashJavdekar) July 29, 2020

Tigers in India

• The tiger tally in the country stands at 2,967.
• The tiger population in the country has grown from 1,400 in 2014 to 2,967 in 2019.
• Madhya Pradesh has the maximum number of tigers at 526.
• Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand has the highest number of 231 big cats in the country.

International Tiger Day, held annually on 29 July, is an annual celebration to raise awareness for tiger conservation and to promote a global system for protecting the natural habitats of tigers.

It was created in 2010 at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit where governments of tiger-populated countries vowed to double the tiger population by 2022.