Over the past century the number of tigers in India has fallen from about 40,000 to less than 4,000 (and possibly as few as 1,500). Relentless poaching and clearing of habitat for agriculture have been the primary drivers of this decline, though demand for tiger skins and parts for "medicinal" purposes has become an increasingly important threat in recent years.
However the news is not all bad. Research published last year showed that if protected and given sufficient access to abundant prey, tiger populations can quickly stabilize. With India's large network of protected areas and continued funding from conservation groups like the Wildlife Conservation Society, the findings provide hope that tigers can avoid extinction in the wild.
Now a new study offers further evidence the tigers can be saved. Writing in the journal Biological Conservation, a team of scientists showed that parks in India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal can sustain nearly twice the number of tigers they currently support if small conservation measures are adopted.
Dr. K. Ullas Karanth, a leading tiger expert and one of the authors of the study, answered some questions about the recent findings as well as the overall state of tigers in India.
However the news is not all bad. Research published last year showed that if protected and given sufficient access to abundant prey, tiger populations can quickly stabilize. With India's large network of protected areas and continued funding from conservation groups like the Wildlife Conservation Society, the findings provide hope that tigers can avoid extinction in the wild.
 Camera trap shot of a tiger in India's Nagarahole National Park. Photo by U. Karanth/Wildlife Conservation Society. |
Dr. K. Ullas Karanth, a leading tiger expert and one of the authors of the study, answered some questions about the recent findings as well as the overall state of tigers in India.
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