PM Modi greets nation on International Tiger Day, cites healthy increase in tiger number in 2018 census

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of International Tiger Day greeted the community of wildlife lovers today. PM Modi took to twitter and expressed his greetings towards wildlife lovers who are passionate about tiger conservation around the world. PM Modi in his tweet mentioned that the country was home to the world’s 70 percent tiger population and reiterated the government’s commitment to ensuring safe habitats for the species and nurturing their habitat and ecosystems.

In his earlier tweets on the same issue, PM Modi said that the country had a total of 51 tiger reserves spread across 18 states criss-crossing the entire country. Referring to the 2018 Tiger census, PM Modi said that the census data pointed to an increase in the number of the national animal. PM Modi further said that the government’s tiger conservation approach attaches topmost significance to the participation of the local communities in the vicinity of the tiger habitats.

On #InternationalTigerDay, greetings to wildlife lovers, especially those who are passionate about tiger conservation. Home to over 70% of the tiger population globally, we reiterate our commitment to ensuring safe habitats for our tigers and nurturing tiger-friendly eco-systems. pic.twitter.com/Fk3YZzxn07

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 29, 2021

Minister of Cultural and Tourism G Kishan Reddy on the occasion shared the tiger statistics showcasing a healthy increase in the number of species. As per the information shared by the Minister, the country had a total of 2226 tigers in the year 2014 and their tally increased to 2967 in the year 2018. The minister said that the central government was committed to providing the highest protection and conservation measures to the Tiger species and it was the result of its efforts that the country now hosts 70 percent of the world’s population.

Tiger is placed under the ‘endangered’ category by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and is also provided the highest protection in the country owing to its threatened population. The number of tigers had fallen at a very fast pace in the country till the 1970s forcing the government to launch Project Tiger. Since the beginning of this century, the number of tigers has stabilised and even increased in some of its habitats. Sitting on the top of the food chain, the species is considered to be indispensable for the health of the whole ecosystem.