India is home to over 75% of the worlds wild tiger population and if experts are to be believed, this number will be shooting up drastically at the time of the new population census in India scheduled to happen in 2022.
As per the last count, India had a wild tiger population of 2967. This count itself was almost double the population levels in 2010 and India had made a commitment to double its tiger population by 2022. Not only has India hit that target 4 years ahead of schedule, but it also gained the distinction of putting in practice the largest camera trap animal survey recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records.
Unlike lions, tigers are solitary animals and males and females only meet to reproduce. The cubs then spend the next year or so with their mother before branching out on their own. Tigers are not overtly territorial and have been known to have complex relationships between individuals. They are not averse to sharing food with other tigers and do not mind if territories overlap.
Being at the top of the food chain in its natural habitat in India, the tigers kill and feast on mainly the various types of deer available like barasingha, wapiti, sambar deer while also killing and eating wild boars. They also prey on smaller animals like monkeys from time to time. If they live near human beings, tigers have been known to attack livestock like cows, buffaloes and goats.
A male tiger can reproduce all year round and usually reach sexual maturity at around 4 – 5 years. A female tiger is ready to reproduce by the age of 3 and has a gestation period of around 105 days. The females however are in heat only for 5-6 days with the pregnancy, gestation period and the rearing of children making her unavailable to reproduce for another 2 years.
On average, each tiger pregnancy will have 2 -3 cubs. The father is usually absent in the whole child-rearing process. The tiger births usually happen between March and June with another season in September. This is mainly governed by the weather conditions.
India has over 50 tiger reserves spread across the country with most of the reserves being set up between 1973 and 1974 which was the first time that India decided to take a serious look at its dwindling tiger population.
The largest reserve based on the number of tigers is Jim Corbett National Park in Uttrakhand followed by Bandipur National Park in Karnataka. Other tiger reserves with a considerable tiger population include Kaziranga in Assam, Nagarhole in Karnataka, Mudumalai in Tamil Nadu and Sunderbans in West Bengal. Madhya Pradesh leads with the most number of reserves at 7 with Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Karnataka following close behind with 5 each.
These reserves are major tourist attractions and boast impressive numbers throughout the year. Tiger spotting treks are one of the major activities that tourists indulge in. Experts and resorts work together to ensure that the safety of the tourists and the tigers are equally taken care of.
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