Big Cat Decline

Once living in India in superabundant numbers, the Tiger population had begun to dwindle as humans came to possess guns. Till the arrival of guns, no weapon had the power to annihilate the big cats in such a disproportionate manner. The colonial rulers and their satraps carried out mayhem that unfortunately continued post-independence. 

The Maharajahs were protecting hunting reserves within their territories for their pleasure hunts. Paradoxically, this proved beneficial in a way, but the preservation came at a cost. Most of the reserves today are earlier hunting grounds, they were erstwhile private reserves of the Maharajahs. Outside of these reserves, mass-scale wood logging and poaching were taking place, and most of the forests and grasslands were stripped of their crown cover. Although the crown cover was preserved within the private hunting reserves the big cats were not.  The ecosystems were facing an all-around onslaught that was showing no signs of mitigation in pre-independence India.

Rulers & Satraps

The  elite rulers, and their satraps, were unfortunately merciless on wild animals, especially the big cats. The Europeans did not know about ecosystems that were instrumental in creating an ambient environment there actions had a disastrous impact on the colonies. Declared as vermins, the predators were slaughtered in large numbers for a small price. Having decimated ecosystems and wildlife in their lands, the colonials were at it in countries like India.  

Hunting was considered a noble sport among the Europeans, unlike the masses in India, they were not subject to the conservation ethos that we inherited from the Vedas. For the satraps subjugated by the rulers, killing tigers and leopards was a masculine act keeping in tandem with their superhuman status. Some royals in the country are said to have shot more than 1000 tigers during their lifetime.      

Irreversible Decline

The numbers from over one hundred thousand came to around 1400 by the seventies. The big cats were facing certain extinction, and the savage hunt was going on. Tigers were being hunted down legally for a paltry sum of a hundred rupees or less. Fortunately, there was a panic setting up among the conservation circles, however small. It was time to take steps to save the iconic predator before the species perished in India.

The then Prime Minister Smt.Indira Gandhi came to the rescue of the tigers. She valued the heritage that belonged to India, and thus, the wildlife protection act 1972 was passed in the parliament. Rightfully, all wild animals and their habitats facing decline got a reprieve from merciless slaughter at the hands of hunters and poachers alike.  The next good thing was the creation of a protected area with a core that was completely inviolate.   This was done under the Project Tiger Program which after initial hiccups has become a rollicking success, and the population of the striped cat has reached over three thousand adults in the year 2022.

Protected Areas in India

As of 2022, there are 53  tiger reserves in India, and more are being planned. The first tiger reserve was what is now the Corbett National Park and there was a continuous declaration of habitable forests for tigers as protected areas.  The tiger reserves are being managed by NTCA a government body that subscribes to court rulings and its management agenda.

Tiger Safari in India

Tigers can be seen in the protected areas where 20 % of the core has been regulated for tourism. Tourists can book safari permits for morning and evening safaris. The rides are on open jeeps and canters but a permit is a must. You should book safari permits in advance on websites of Indian states.  Following the safari booking online, you can book the rest of the travel arrangements for the tour. If you do not get a booking for the core area you can books tourism in the buffer, but here tiger sightings are not guaranteed.  

Some of the prime tiger reserves for tourism are:

• ·         Bandhavgarh National Park
• ·         Kanha National Park
• ·         Tadoba National Park
• ·         Pench National Park
• ·         Ranthambore National Park
• ·         Corbett National Park
• ·         Periyar National Park
• ·         Nagarjuna Sirsailum Tiger Reserve
• ·         Navegaon Nagjira Tiger Reserve 
• Sanjay Dubri National Park

Tigers are sighted everywhere in all tiger reserves but some forests are dense, and the big cat is elusive. Nevertheless, visit the reserve nearest to you and enjoy the amazing Indian wilderness on a tour. 

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Uday Freelances as Naturalist in Central India. He is an avid birder and tiger enthusiast. He blogs on tigers, wildlife, and birds. He also writes about the environment and conservation.

Uday also provides SEO Services and Website Content in English. He teaches Digital Marketing in Jabalpur.
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