I would be remiss not to spend a bit of time talking about Bengal tigers in India. These magnificent and powerful animals have dwindled in numbers, largely due to poaching, habitat destruction and human-tiger conflicts. The plight of these beautiful animals has reached such proportions that it now has its own international day on 29 July of each year. Its purpose is to promote the protection of the tigers and their natural habitats.
The tiger is India’s national animal and the country has proactively engaged in tiger conservation since 1973. Home to 80% of the tigers in the world, there are less than 3,000 of them left in India.
There are over 50 tiger reserves all over India and the closest one on this journey is Sariska Tiger Reserve. In the early 20th century it was used as a hunting preserve until it was declared a wildlife sanctuary and by 1982 it became a national park with a focus on tiger preservation.
In the early 2000s there were around 25 tigers in the reserve, however over a five year period the population was decimated by poachers. In 2008, a relocation program was started with the transfer of two tigers from another park. Another followed a year later and by 2020 there were 20 tigers on the reserve. Sariska was the first reserve to successfully relocate tigers.
India puts an enormous amount of effort into conservation. It has pledged substantial funding for the program and has also established a Special Tiger Protection Force especially trained in combating poachers.
May their efforts pay off for future generations and may we continue seeing these beautiful animals roam in the wild.
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