This matters: We have more tigers than we thought!  

You need not be an animal lover to appreciate the grandeur of tigers, one of the most majestic land mammals in the world. In fact, as Indians, we are more than proud of our national animal, the Panthera tigris. The creature that comes in a thick yellow coat of fur with dark stripes is a combination of grace, strength, agility and above all enormous power. However, over the years, the population of tigers has gone down significantly, alarming conservationists and other animal rights organisations around the world.  

Here’s some good news for all you tiger lovers. Turns out, that there are at least 40 per cent more tigers in the wild than it was earlier perceived. This is what a recent report by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) reveals. But unfortunately, tigers still continue to remain endangered. Are you wondering why? Well, for the simple reason that the number of tigers still stands at a maximum of 5578, a figure that isn’t promising at all.  

How did the count go up?  
In case you have already been wondering what has led to this sudden rise in the number of tigers, here’s the reason. According to the IUCN, the growth in tiger population worldwide has been a result of improved monitoring and increase in conservation efforts by governments and international animal welfare agencies worldwide. Now, the numbers are not only stable but also increasing. In fact, several habitat protection projects have revealed that there’s a high possibility of recovery as well. 

Tigers: The current scenario 
In IUCN’s latest Red List of Threatened Species, a total of 147,517 species were taken into consideration. While the number of threatened species now stands at a whooping 41,459; 9065 have been declared as critically endangered and 16,300 as vulnerable. Sadly, as many as 902 species have also been deemed extinct, with 82 of them in the wild. Now, tiger is one among the 16,094 endangered species, according to this list. At present, the number of tigers is presumed to be somewhere in between 3726 and 5578, almost 40 per cent more than the last study that happened in 2015. Even though tiger still continues to be high on the endangered list, the jump in their population is promising and even proves that conservation initiatives such as the IUCN’s Integrated Tiger Habitat Conservation Programme are successful.  

Unfortunately, despite such conservation efforts, there are many factors that still pose significant threat to the tiger population. These include poaching, hunting, illegal wildlife trade, poaching and hunting of tiger’s preys, and loss of habitat, thanks to urbanisation and agricultural malpractices. Proactive measures such as expanding and linking protected reserves, ensuring that they are properly maintained, and above all working alongside local communities who dwell near tiger habitats are important for the preservation of this endangered species. In addition, ecosystems need to be restored and actions to tackle climate change also need to be implemented.