International Tiger Day held every year on 29th July since 2010 globally. The initiative of Project Tiger was taken by former Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi on 1st April 1973 when tiger population fell to the lowest level.
The International Tiger Day 2023 is marked as 13th anniversary of the event and celebrated to spreading awareness to protect the beautiful animal from poaching or hunting.
History Of International Tiger Day
The history of International Tiger Day was initiated by the Tiger Summit in Russia with other 13 tiger range countries on 2010. The motto of the summit was to preserve tiger from hunting and habitat loss for save them from extinction. India ,Russia including China and other countries committed to doubling the tiger population by 2022 in their Tx2 project.
Since then project was in full phase that rallying globally to support the protect of tiger for achieving their goal. After the dead line of 2022, this year is important most for observing the result achieved by the countries after years of struggle.
However, the result of project Tx2 was uneven in each countries. India has progressed better between other South-East Asian countries. India was success more due to Project Tiger, which was on the way since 1973 and completed 50th anniversary in 2023.
International Tiger Day also Concern Of Increasing Tigers
The rising of the population of tigers has also pointed the concern of tiger and human conflicts in the International Tiger Day on Saturday. Experts says according Tiger Census of 2022, the number increased to 3167 from 268 in 1973, when Tiger Project has started by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Tiger bearing habitat divided into five major parts are Shivalik Gangetic plains, Central India and Eastern Ghats, Western Ghats, North Eastern Hills and Brahmaputra flood plains and Sundarbans.
Human-Tiger conflict happens when prey for tigers declined or density of tigers increased and loss of their natural habitat due to interference of human encroachment. The natural tendency of tiger to move out from their native areas, which is disturbed by the infrastructure like highways, railways, fenced resorts and other obstructions become barrier to their corridor.
The conservation suggested the theory that protect the Young tigers and Old Tigers, for whom the human can be the easier prey. After identifying those tigers in the forest, observing them by camera and radio-telemetry can be useful to sort out dangerous tigers and can be managed before they attack human.
According to Government report, increase of land of 9 tiger reserves across the country 18,278 sq km of land in 1973 has now expanded to 53 Tiger Reserves which protected areas of 75,796.83 sq km. This areas counted approximately 2.3 percent of total geographical areas of the country.
Compared with the last census 2018 (2,967), tiger population in Western Ghat has declined to 824 from 981, and in North-Eastern Hills and Brahmaputra flood plain has a decline of 194 from 219. The Status of 2022 report shows the cause of Decline the population of tiger is encroachment and human wild life conflict among poaching, hunting and other disturbance also.
According to reports tiger attack villagers and tribal who live nearby forests are more vulnerable to attack by them. It is more important to protect life of human also who are more vulnerable to hunt by man eater time to time.
The Government also taken major initiative to increase land of protecting tigers as well as protecting villagers and rehabilitate tribal families under the wild life protection Act 2006. It has a provision of monetary package of 10 lacs per adult to relocate them from the core areas of the tiger reserve.
The package was upgraded to 15 lacs per adult later and since Project Tiger 1973 almost 20,000 families has been relocated according to ’50 years of Project Tiger’ report.