International Tiger Day 2020: Headcount, India status and other key facts

July 29 is celebrated across the world as International Tiger Day to raise awareness about the dwindling number of striped cats, who are on the brink of extinction, and to encourage tiger conservation. International Tiger Day was created in 2010 at Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in Russia. In the summit, governments of tiger-populated countries vowed to double tiger population by 2022. Almost a decade has passed since then. Here are answers to some frequently asked questions on tigers, International Tiger Day and facts on the big cats.

Tiger population rising at 6% every year in India

Union Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Prakash Javadekar, on Tuesday released the detailed Status of Tigers Report 2018. According to the report, released on the eve of Global Tiger Day, tigers were observed to be increasing at a rate of 6 per cent per annum in India from 2006 to 2018.

“There were nine tiger reserves when Project Tiger started in 1973. Now, India has 50 tiger reserves. Seventy per cent of the world’s tigers are in India and the conservation effort has been a huge success," said Javadekar.

Siberian tiger. Photo: Shutterstock

How many tigers are left in the world?

Around 3,900 tigers remain in the wild across the globe, according to World Wildlife Fund (WWF).  Since the beginning of the 20th century, over 95% of the world's tiger population is lost. A WWF report says that about a 100 years ago, there may have been over 100,000 tigers that roam in the planet.

Why are tigers important?

Since the tiger is an “umbrella species”, its conservation enables the conservation of their entire ecosystems. Several studies have shown that Tiger reserves harbour new species, which are found practically every year. Tiger reserves have also improved the water regimes in regions where they are located, improving groundwater tables and other water bodies, thus contributing favourably to the climate.

What is the importance of World Tiger Day?

This year marks the tenth International Tiger Day. On International Tiger Day, several countries discuss issues related to tiger conservation and also try to amass funds for wildlife preservation. Moreover, many celebrities also pitch in for International Tiger Day and try to spread awareness about the conditions of tigers using their massive social media presence. India is especially important for International Tiger Day 2020 as the country currently has 75% of all tigers on the planet.

Tiger (Photo: Shutterstock)

What are the different species of tigers?

There are different species of tigers - Siberian tigers, Bengal tigers, Indochinese tigers, Malayan tigers and South China. The Bengal tiger is found primarily in India with smaller populations in Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, China and Myanmar. It is the most numerous of all tiger subspecies with more than 2,500 left in the wild.

5 interesting facts about tigers

1. There were eight tiger subspecies at one time: These subspecies are the Bengal tiger, South China tiger, Indochinese tiger, Sumatran tiger and Siberian tiger. The three subspecies of tiger that have become extinct are - the Caspian, Bali and Javan.

2. In less than 100 years ago: Hunting and habitat loss have put populations at risk, and today their range has been reduced to around 7% of its former size. 

3. Tigers are a keystone species: They're integral to the health of the ecosystems in which they live. As apex predators, they keep prey species under control. This protects the vegetation, which in turn maintains the integrity of streams, forests and croplands that provide people around the world with clean air, water, food and financial benefits.

4. No two tigers have the same stripes. Like human fingerprints, their stripe patterns are unique to each individual. Stripes range in color from light brown to black and are not symmetrical on both sides of the body.

5. Tigers are generally nocturnal hunters, but also opportunists: Their night vision is up to six-times greater than a human's. But they're also opportunists, which means they won't pass up the chance for a daytime snack when it's available.