ABOUT PROJECT TIGER

Project Tiger is a wildlife conservation movement initiated in India in 1973 to protect the Bengal Tigers. The project aims at tiger conservation in specially constituted tiger reserves representative of various regions throughout India. In 2008, there were more than 40 Tiger Reserves of India covering an area over 37,761 km. Project Tiger helped to increase the population of these tigers from 1,200 in the 1970s to 3,500 in 1990s

However, a 2008 census held by Government of India revealed that the tiger population had dropped to 1,411. Since then the government has pledged US$153 million to further fund the project, set-up a Tiger Protection Force to combat poachers, and fund the relocation of up to 200,000 villagers to minimize human-tiger interaction.

Project Tiger was formed in 1972 and launched on the 1st April 1973 at Corbett National Park. It's aims were: To ensure maintenance of a viable population of tigers in India for scientific, economic, aesthetic, cultural and ecological values. To preserve, for all times, areas of such biological importance as a national heritage for the benefit, education and enjoyment of the people. Early development: With the co-operation of the Indian Government, Project Tiger initially established 9 reserves, across different ecosystems. These were devoted specifically to saving the tiger and eliminating those.

Factors which were contributing to the decline of the tiger: habitat destruction. forestry disturbance. loss of prey. poaching. competition with local villagers and domestic animals

Tigers are at the top of the ecosystem chain as the top predators. The entire ecosystem health is predicated on the health of the tiger population If tigers die out, herbivores will overpopulate and denude vegetation leading to cascading detrimental environmental effects.

RESERVE OPERATIONS:

Within the reserves, certain areas were designated as breeding grounds (core areas) and these were out of bounds to the public. It was hoped that as tiger populations increased any surplus animals would migrate to neighboring forests. To encourage this to happen, routes were established away from public view which allowed easy access to other forests. Wide buffer zones protected the breeding areas and public access to these was limited.

DID YOU KNOW?

A villager can earn as much in one night by poisoning and skinning a tiger as he could by farming for 5 years

Most tigers have more than 100 stripes, and no two tigers have identical stripes A group of tigers is called a streak.

The roar of a tiger can be heard more than a mile away

Thank You.