The news that the tiger is, once again, burning bright is a testament to the success of Project Tiger. India’s tiger population has doubled to an average of 3,682 from the low of approximately 1,800 animals in the wild in 1972. But with shining success comes added responsibility and serious challenges. India must learn to sustain its tiger population; otherwise, it risks undoing all the progress made. Foremost among the challenges is the uneven distribution of tiger populations. Around 80% of India’s tigers now roam across eight states. Madhya Pradesh has the highest tiger population of 785, followed by 563 in Karnataka and 444 in Maharashtra; Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh have recorded dips in tiger numbers; Nagaland and Mizoram have no tigers left; and northern Bengal reportedly has just a handful. In forests with choked carrying capacities — the Sunderbans are an example — rising numbers could push some apex predators into buffer zones, drastically increasing the chances of man-animal conflicts. There are other risks. The greater the concentration of tigers in a reserve, the higher their threat of perishing to vector-borne contagions: canine distemper outbreaks pose a significant threat. Moreover, a healthier distribution of tigers in India’s forests would also be less disruptive to their respective ecological habitats. The relocation of tigers, the attendant challenges notwithstanding, must be looked into seriously. A pilot study involving the Sunderbans in India and Bangladesh could be useful. Petty politics should not hinder collaborations in conservation: it is pertinent to mention that political oneupmanship has prevented the transfer of lions from Gir in Gujarat to Madhya Pradesh even after the Supreme Court directed the Centre to enact plans to shift some of the animals.

The future of the tiger is also inextricably linked to the future of India’s forests. India’s forest cover continues to fall short of the target of 33% that is important to maintain ecological balance. More worryingly, the share of dense forests — the home of tigers — is declining precipitously in many parts of the country, as was evident from the Forest Survey of India in 2021. The fragmentation of moderate and dense forests accompanied by the rise of plantations — the ‘new forests’ of New India — is inimical to the future of the striped species.