Tiger Population In India Rose From 1,411 In 2006 To 3,682 In 2022, Union Govt Tells Lok Sabha

Union Minister G Kishan Reddy stated that tiger and peacock are notified as 'National Animal' and 'National Bird' respectively and they are given the highest degree of protection from hunting.

The government informed the Parliament on Monday that the population of tigers in the country has increased from 1,411 in 2006 to 3,682 in 2022. Union Minister of Culture G Kishan Reddy made a written response in the Lok Sabha after he was asked whether certain bird, flower, animal etc. in the country have been designated as the national bird, national flower, and national animal and provided protection having been given the special status considering the sentiments of common people across the country.

As informed by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF & CC), the Government of India had notified tiger and peacock as 'National Animal' and 'National Bird' respectively, the minister stated in his response.

"As the said notifications of the Government of India were not forthcoming in the official records of MoEF & CC for quite some time, the Ministry renotified Tiger and Peacock as 'National Animal’ and National Bird' respectively, on 30th May 2011," he added, as quoted by PTI.

He further mentioned that Tiger and peacock have been included in the Schedule-I animals of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, thereby "according them the highest degree of protection from hunting. In addition, important habitats of these animals have also been declared as Protected Areas."

According to the minister, the population of tigers in the country has "increased from 1,411 in 2006 to 3,682 in 2022."

Last month, The National Tiger Conservation Authority and the Wildlife Institute of India jointly released a report titled 'Status of Tigers: Co-predators & Prey in India-2022', which informed about the significant increase in the tiger population in the country.

According to the report, Madhya Pradesh has the most tigers in the country, outnumbering other states such as Karnataka (563) and Uttarakhand (560).

259 tigers have been added to Madhya Pradesh's forests over the last four years, it stated. The state boasts six tiger reserves including Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Panna, Pench, Satpura, and Sanjay-Dubri Tiger Reserve.