40 percent more wild tigers exist than previously believed: Report

According to a prominent environmentalist organisation, there may be 5,578 tigers in the wild, which is 40 per cent more than was previously believed. Despite this, tigers are still an endangered species. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the increase in numbers was caused by better monitoring, and the population is believed to be steady or growing (IUCN). Projects to safeguard habitat have demonstrated that "recovery is possible."

There are believed to be between 3,726 and 5,578 wild tigers, which is a 40 per cent increase over the 2015 estimate. The tiger was still listed as endangered, but the population trend showed that initiatives like the IUCN's integrated tiger habitat conservation programme "are succeeding and recovery is conceivable as long as conservation efforts continue," the organisation stated. The main dangers included habitat damage brought on by agriculture and human settlement, hunting and poaching of tigers' prey, and poaching of tigers themselves.

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“Expanding and connecting protected areas, ensuring they are effectively managed, and working with local communities living in and around tiger habitats, are critical to protect the species,” the IUCN said. According to the World Wildlife Fund, the population of wild tigers has begun to increase in their primary habitats in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Russia, and China after a century-long decrease. The IUCN revised its "red list" of threatened species, the most comprehensive source of information on the state of worldwide conservation for plants, animals, and fungi, and it also included a reevaluation of the number of tigers.

(with inputs from agencies)