India has only around 1,500 tigers: govt survey

While the new survey shows a marginal decline in tiger numbers inside sanctuaries and protected areas, the tiger population outside them appears to have fallen drastically
There are only between 1,300-1,500 tigers left in India, according to a new study commissioned by the government. This figure is less than half the reported figure from the last official tiger census conducted in 2001, although many experts had questioned those numbers. The prime minister has promised action to tackle the alarming decline in the country?s tiger population.
The Wildlife Institute of India, which carried out the survey with the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), said the tiger population in reserves and protected areas had dropped marginally but had declined sharply in unprotected forest areas.
?Today?s presentation has brought home the fact that we may have made a mistake about wanting to have people co-exist with tigers, and become dinner. And it wasn?t such a good idea for people. The idea was to try and find ways to remove them from those areas and let nature rejuvenate itself,? said conservationist Prahalad Kakkar.
The survey was presented to a National Wildlife Board meeting, chaired by India?s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The new numbers confirm fears expressed when initial results from the study were reported in May. ?The earlier tiger census figures were exaggerated because there was a tendency that if you are a manager of a tiger reserve, if you did a census and showed a lower number, your knuckles were rapped,? added Belinda Wright, director of the Wildlife Protection Society of India.
The last major tiger census relied on estimating the population by examining tiger pugmarks; the current study is far more extensive and accurate, using camera ?traps? triggered by passing animals, as well as hundreds of wildlife officials tracking the animals through droppings and pugmarks.
Listing urgent measures that have been taken to bolster tiger conservation in India, the NTCA said, while releasing the study on November 2, that central assistance is being provided for the creation of a ?tiger protection force? comprising ex-army personnel and local people. This will complement the efforts of field staff and existing protection initiatives.
Meanwhile, renowned conservationist Valmik Thapar said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had promised prompt action to deal with the dwindling tiger population. ?Yesterday?s National Wildlife Board meeting headed by the prime minister was excellent. He came up with three solutions -- one, a sub-committee should be formed to look into tiger conservation; second, a tiger population force must be formed which should be headed by various state governments to check the number of tigers in every state; and third, a senior policeman should head a wildlife crime bureau that has been headless for quite some time now. These three ways will affect the tigers in a positive way. This could be the beginning of a new era in wildlife conservation. Government, NGOs and individuals can partner much better. The prime minister was very much in tune with the problem and is doing what needs to be done. So we are keeping our fingers crossed,? Thapar concluded.
A century ago, India?s tiger population was believed to number in the tens of thousands. But unchecked development, rampant poaching and population pressure on tiger habitats have rapidly depleted their