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ABOUT PROJECT TIGERProject 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 km².

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

The initial reserves were:BandipurCorbettsKanhaManasMelghatPalamauRanthambhoreSimilipalSundarbans

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 neighbouring 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.

RESERVE OPERATIONS:

The grazing of domestic cattle was halted, as was the harvesting of forestry. Entire villages were moved from the lands of their forefathers to areas where the people would no longer conflict with the wildlife. Most went with little complaint. Waiting for them were new houses, more land, and community facilities.

Ranthambhore was one of the first to be cleared of cattle and the other reserves followed soon after.

Vehicles for different ecosystems:

Assorted vehicles were donated to enable transport around the various ecosystems. Speed boats covered the swampy Sundarbans, while camels went to arid Ranthambhore. Elephants for the rain forests of Manas, bullock carts for Melghat. Diesel-powered jeeps went everywhere.

THE CURRENT SITUATIONAt this point in time the Government

spends approximately US$75 million per year in an effort to ensure the survival of the Bengal tiger. Yet the amount of this money making it into the field is less than ideal.

Rangers are desperately short of equipment. Items such as boots, even second-hand ones, and binoculars, are on the much-needed list. Things are so desperate that some staff are stranded at guard posts instead of being able to carry out the routine patrols so necessary to preventing an increase in poaching.

White TigersEndangered

Golden TigersEndangered

Bengal TigersEndangered

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

The Caspian tiger, Panthera tigris virgata, once ranged in Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, Mongolia, and the Central Asiaticarea of Russia and probably went extinct in the 1950s.