How India is Saving its Tigers

Across the world, individuals and organizations are working together to save the planet. These conservation efforts show that when people unite to protect wildlife, real change is possible.

While tigers have faced a population decline due to human activity, the big cats in India have made a dramatic comeback, the BBC reports. The population has doubled over the last 10 years thanks to targeted conservation efforts. The country is home to approximately 3,682 tigers today, which is the largest tiger population in the world.

Saving the Tigers
According to the India House Foundation, the tiger population had dropped below 1,900 in 1972. A combination of poaching, shrinking habitats, and increasing conflict with humans contributed to the decline of the species.

India launched Project Tiger in 1973 to bring the population back from the brink. The initiative created protected reserves, specialized patrol forces, and a “core-buffer” strategy that balanced conservation with nearby human activity.

A Win for Conservation
A study in the journal Science analyzed the project’s results. It found that India not only protected the big cats from poaching and habitat loss, but also ensured they had access to habitats that were rich with prey.

Large carnivores are often believed to struggle in densely populated areas, but the study found otherwise. The findings showed that tigers were able to recover even in areas where they lived near large human populations when conditions were favorable.

“We think human densities are detrimental to conservation of large carnivores [like tigers]. But more than density it is the attitude of people that matters,” Yadvendradev Vikramsinh Jhala, the study’s lead author, tells the BBC.

Living Alongside Humans
India’s tigers have learned to live among roughly 60 million people, including farming communities and rural settlements. The process of restoring the tiger population in these locations has presented some conflict. Not everyone wants a tiger as a next-door neighbor.

To reduce tension, the researchers highlighted the importance of financial compensation programs for communities that share resources with tigers. And they note many of these communities already enjoy an economic boost from an increase in eco-tourism.

India now also has 57 designated tiger reserves across 18 states, according to the India House Foundation. The country provides a model for conservationists around the world.

Hope for Other Wildlife
Following this success, conservationists in India are expanding their efforts to protect other endangered wildlife. Projects are already underway to support elephant, snow leopard, and crocodile populations. According to NPR, wildlife conservationists and ecologists say that sharing data with other scientists could benefit wildlife globally.

For now, the return of the tiger offers hope to all India’s endangered creatures. It’s a powerful reminder that when people come together to protect nature, the results can ripple far beyond a single species.