Many of our gap year volunteers talk about their love for big cats – and while this includes the lion, cheetah and leopard, which they get a chance to witness at Shamwari Game Reserve, it also includes the beautiful tiger. Well, we’ve just heard some news that will make all wildlife conservation enthusiasts smile! A recent census of India’s wild tiger population indicates that their numbers are holding steady, if not rising.
Image by bjoern
This is excellent news for India, which has lost 97% of its tiger population during the 20th century due to poaching – and which still faces severe problems, as tiger poaching has reached the same level of organisation and professionalism as drug trafficking. Their bones, claws and skin are in demand for traditional medicinal purposes in countries including China, Taiwan and Korea.
The latest census takes the information in a different way to previous ones, using camera traps and DNA testing to count India’s tigers, rather than the less reliable measurement of the pugmarks – unique footprints – left by the big cats. The count also included the 70 tigers at Sundarbans tiger reserve. Altogether, this produced a higher number than in 2007: 1,706 tigers compared to 1,411.
Whether this indicates a confirmed increase in the tiger population is not entirely clear, but it certainly looks like they’re not diminishing further. Conservation efforts, including gap year volunteer programs similar to ours at Shamwari, are making a difference. But there is a long way to go until India’s tiger population is no longer under threat. Not only does tiger poaching pose a serious threat, but the shrinking of tiger corridors means that sufficiently large habitats are in danger.
Still, it’s news like this that reassures everyone working in wildlife conservation, whether they’re a full-time career conservationist or a gap year volunteer, that their work is changing the fate of animals around the world.
Rachel Hill
I have a great passion for wildlife & conservation, after an 8yr background of selling South Africa as a destination and Shamwari Game Reserve I have recently been lucky enough to get involved with Worldwide Experience and contribute towards making changes in people lives. The projects we offer are truly amazing and I hope together we can make a difference.
