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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday declared results of the 4th cycle of the All India Tiger Estimation to the nation, announcing India's tiger numbers at 2967. The 33% rise in tiger numbers is the highest ever recorded between cycles which stood at 21% between 2006 to 2010 and 30% between 2010 and 2014. Here is an insight into the rankings of states with tiger population:
1. Madhya Pradesh ranked first with highest number of tigers at 526.
2. The second spot was claimed by Karnataka at 524.
3. Uttarakhand ranked third with 442 tigers.
Chhattisgarh and Mizoram saw a decline in their tiger numbers while numbers in Odisha remained constant. All other states witnessed a positive trend. Viewed at the landscape level, all 5 landscapes showed an increase with the Central Indian landscape recording the highest increment.
Modi invoked two Bollywood movie titles to emphasise the need to expand and strengthen tiger conservation efforts. The story of protecting tigers that started with "Ek Tha Tiger" (there was once a tiger) and reached "Tiger Zinda Hai" (the tiger is alive) should not end there, he said, efforts towards conservation should be expanded and sped up.
The All India Tiger Estimation Report 2018 has put the number of tigers in Maharashtra at 312, up from 190 in 2014.
A statement from the Maharashtra Forest department on Monday said the tiger count in the state had increased by 64 per cent, and 20 per cent nationwide. The release said the enhanced numbers are due to stringent measures taken for tiger conservation.
It informed that the Maharashtra government was planning an e-surveillance mechanism to track tiger movement in the state.
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