Bengal tiger numbers are up in India! The authorities in India have recently reported a 30% rise in the number if tigers in their country over recent years. This brings hope for their survival where in the past there were severe doubts. India declares that there are 2,226 tigers in the wild, up from 1,706 (2010). The environment minister considers it a huge success.
How did they count the tigers? They used a large number of camera traps (9,700) at 47 different tiger reserves. Camera traps are the best way to count and superior to checking for scats (droppings). However, counting tigers is tricky so there should be a word of warning about these numbers, I feel. I don’t believe we can say for sure that the figures are correct. How accurate are they? What is the margin of error when counting tigers with modern techniques? I don’t know. Perhaps the 2010 figure was underrecorded in which case their has been no true rise in numbers. I am playing devil’s advocate.
I wrote an article stating that there were 1410 Bengal tigers in all (India and Bangladesh).
Why are the numbers up? The camera traps have deterred poachers. They fear being filmed and caught. “Poaching is still a problem but less so than in 2003-04” (Belinda Wright, British conservationist and director of the Wildlife Protection Society of India). Also there has been intensified efforts to stamp out poaching. In addition there has been reintroductions of tigers into some areas and finally habitat has been more effectively protected. Panna National Park had lost all its tigers by 2008 but a re-introduction programme now means there are 24 in the reserve.
What are the main threats today? China is still the main problem. The only way to save wild tigers is (a) ban all trade of tiger body parts into and throughout China and (b) for China to stop tiger farming for their body parts because this encourages consuming tiger body parts and the Chinese prefer wild tiger body parts. Farmed tiger encourages the poaching of wild tiger. There is little expectation that either goal will be achieved.
Problem tiger reserves? There are four reserves in India where there are no tigers due to poaching. I don’t know which ones they are, sorry.
Associated: best Bengal tiger reserves.
Source: Times newspaper of today.
Very happy to know that the tiger population in India has increased by 30%, a miracle. I myself thought that the numbers would remain stagnant or worse decrease. In India i have visited Bandipur, Mudumulai,Nagarhole Bandhavgarh and the Tadoba Tiger reserves to date. Was successful in finally spotting a wild tiger in the Tadoba National park in 2014, a sight that will be etched in my memory for a life-time. My observations of the “Tiger National Parks” is that they have “Village Corridors” in their midst and hence tigers and humans live in close proximation in certain parts of the tiger reserves.Highways pass through many reserves most prominently in Bandhavgarh and so also are cultivated fields situated inside tiger reserves.Cattle graze within the reserves and at times fall prey to the “Big Cats”. The villager is compensated if a tiger lifts cattle and hence some peace observed.between man and beast . At times a tiger does kill a villager as has happened in Bandhavgarh and then it is declared a “MAN-EATER” and killed.My personal opinion as also of most conservationist is that the the “TIGER CORRIDORS” in National parks have to be made more safe for both humans and tigers.Villages can be shifted from core tiger habitat to pave way for a clear corridor as tigers require vast tracts of forests for prowling.Otherwise the tiger numbers could stagnate at the present census levels as any more increase in tiger numbers in the “National Parks” could create a serious problem of animal-human conflict which could ultimately result in a increase in poaching.Read my blog on the “Bandhavgarh” and “Tadoba Safari” to understand a typical tiger safari in India. We were lucky to finally spot our tigers in Tadoba.A) Bandhavgarh :- http://trektours.blogspot.in/ B0 Tadoba :- http://tadobaandharitiger.blogspot.in/
That and the other human interferences in the tiger range seems to be a bad idea. I completely agree with everything you say. The news is good but the pressure needs to be kept up and merging humans and tigers within reserves can undermine the conservation process I feel. I suppose it comes down to a balance between human and tiger and until now the human has definitely got the lion’s share of space!
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