From Crisis to Custodianship : India's Tiger Journey

Pashu Sandesh, 29 July 2025

Every year on July 29, the world celebrates International Tiger Day, a moment to reflect on the survival of one of Earth’s most iconic predators. In 2025, the spotlight shines once again on India — home to 3,682 wild tigers, or roughly 75% of the global tiger population. This isn't just a number. It's a roaring success story in a world where wildlife is vanishing faster than ever.

From Crisis to Comeback: India’s Tiger Journey

India’s tiger story began on shaky ground. In 1973, alarmed by plummeting tiger numbers, India launched Project Tiger with just 9 reserves and about 1,800 tigers. Fast forward to today:

• 58 tiger reserves now span the country.
• The wild tiger population has more than doubled over the past two decades.
• India has set the global benchmark in big cat conservation.

What changed? Strong leadership, grassroots support, and technology-led conservation.

What Worked: India's Conservation Game Plan

Here’s how India made it happen:

1.  Strong Governance

The creation of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) brought structure and authority to tiger protection efforts. It coordinated with states, scientists, and local communities to enforce policy and track progress.

2. Smart Technology

With tools like M-STrIPES (a GPS-based monitoring system), forest guards now track tiger movements, patrol routes, and illegal activities in real time.

3. A Landscape Approach

Instead of protecting isolated pockets, India focused on corridors — green pathways that allow tigers to migrate, breed, and avoid inbreeding.

4. Community Inclusion

Recent policies have included local and indigenous communities in decision-making, offering livelihood alternatives like eco-tourism, nature guide training, and sustainable products.

5. Political Will

India’s consistent commitment to tigers, despite development pressures, has made it a global leader in species recovery.

The Other Side: Challenges That Still Roar

Despite the progress, the tiger’s path is far from secure. Let’s break down the concerns:

• 667 tiger deaths were recorded between 2021 and mid-2025 — over 50% of them outside protected areas.
• 30% of tigers now live in non-forested or human-dominated landscapes, where they’re exposed to vehicle collisions, poaching, and habitat loss.
• Top reserves like Corbett (Uttarakhand) are overcrowded, housing more than 260 tigers — well above ecological carrying capacity.
• Some tiger reserves in eastern and central India are under-populated, lacking prey and facing habitat degradation due to climate change and invasive species. 

Ground Realities: Small Actions, Big Impact

India’s conservation success is also built on hundreds of small, local victories:

• In Jharkhand, tribal communities in Palamu Tiger Reserve are training as nature guides, building forest-friendly livelihoods.
• “Bagh Mitras” (Tiger Friends) in Uttar Pradesh help monitor tiger movement and prevent human–tiger conflict.
• In the Sundarbans, women’s collectives are planting mangroves to rebuild tiger habitat while protecting villages from flooding.

These stories prove that conservation isn’t just about tigers — it’s about people, persistence, and partnership.

What Needs to Happen Next?

To secure the future of the tiger in India, experts recommend:

• Expanding habitats and repopulating underused reserves
• Protecting ecological corridors from highways and urban sprawl
• Enhancing the prey base through habitat restoration
• Reducing conflict by creating buffer zones and rapid-response teams
• Supporting forest communities through incentives and climate-resilient development

India is now preparing for its next milestone: Tiger@100 — a long-term roadmap to sustain tiger numbers through the next quarter-century.

Final Thoughts: More Than Just a Big Cat

Saving the tiger is not just about saving one species. It’s about saving entire ecosystems. Where tigers thrive, forests are healthy, rivers flow, and biopersity blooms.

As India leads the world in tiger conservation, World Tiger Day 2025 is a moment of pride — but also a reminder. A growing tiger population is a sign of success. Ensuring they have space to roam, hunt, and coexist? That’s the real challenge ahead.

Quick Tiger Facts (India – 2025)

Let’s keep the roar alive:

Share this post to raise awareness, support tiger-friendly policies, and celebrate the incredible work of India’s conservationists and communities.