In 2023, India celebrated 50 years of Project Tiger. At the time of the country’s Independence from the British in 1947, the tiger count in the country was estimated to be between 40,000 and 50,000. But not long after, the majestic animal was teetering on the brink of extinction with a count of less than 2,000.
The findings of the tiger census were enough to numb the nation into shock and disbelief. It was an SOS call. Swift action was needed to conserve the species. That is how Project Tiger came into existence.
Blueprint for tiger conservation
The initiative is well documented in wildlife journals. Project Tiger was initiated in 1973 by the Government of India’s ministry of environment, forest and climate change. Project Tiger was an initiative to maintain a viable tiger population and save it from the threats of habitat loss, unregulated hunting, illegal poaching and retaliatory killing by affected people — factors that had collectively resulted in the total count going south.
The project demanded the concerted efforts of hundreds of individuals, both governmental and non-governmental, to bring about the paradigm shift that was required in a short span of time. There were multifaceted challenges. Many tiger habitats in India existed on unapproachable land, leading to very isolated pockets that greatly increased the threat of hunting and poaching for the big cat. Other than this, climate change, industrialisation, habitat loss, and man-animal conflict were some of the major challenges that Project Tiger faced.
Rocky road to success
Project Tiger had a meticulously drawn roadmap. Analysts divide the first 50 years of Project Tiger into distinct phases.
The first, which dates to the 1970s, involved enacting the Wildlife Protection Act and establishing protected areas. This ensured that the animals and their natural habitats were safeguarded. Establishing and protecting the ecosystems led to a gradual increase in the tiger population. This was important as an apex predator cannot survive alone but needs a base of herbivores to feed on. It meant that every animal in the natural habitat was protected.
The second phase, initiated in 2005-06, involved a landscape-level approach and round-the-clock monitoring, including intense awareness campaigns tailored to the specific region. The cumulative results showed a notable increase in the tiger population, from 1,411 in 2006 to 2,967 in 2018. It also proved that nature is remarkably resilient and, given a little support, has the ability to recover and maintain its balance.
The mastermind of the movement in its earliest days was Kailash Sankhala, an ardent champion of tiger conservation. He first started his journey as an officer in the Indian Forest Service in 1953. Sankhala played an important role in persuading Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister, to mobilise and initiate Project Tiger.
A systematic field study on tigers was first conducted in the 1960s, with Sankhala as a leading member of the team of conservationists. He spent months travelling to various parts of the country to gather evidence on the dwindling tiger population and presented it to the government.
Tiger siblings relaxing near a manmade waterbody in Tadoba
He impressed Indira Gandhi with his body of research and accumulated data on the alarming population decline of tigers. She agreed to take immediate decisive steps for conservation.
Sankhala navigated considerable political and administrative resistance that hindered the initiative. A significant contribution was invoking the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. He pushed for a nationwide ban on tiger hunting. As the first director of Project Tiger, he handpicked the initial nine tiger strongholds or reserves in the country and ensured that they had the right ecological conditions for tiger conservation.
Project Tiger was launched at Corbett National Park on April 1, 1973. There had been an earnest appeal from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to tiger lovers across the world, with two million dollars collected towards the goal of saving the tiger.
There was considerable opposition from royal heads and game hunters as tiger hunting was considered a sport in India, and tiger heads were proudly displayed as trophies. It was a status symbol for the high and mighty, and Sankhala even faced death threats for enforcing the ban. Sankhala and his team apparently even secretly relocated tigers from vulnerable areas to safer zones when the animals were in high-risk areas exposed to poachers.
The milestones
The project was launched on April 1, 1973, at Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand. Today, it is lauded as one of modern India’s most successful conservation projects.
The Wildlife Protection Act provided a legal framework for the protection of endangered species, restricting hunting and prohibiting commercial exploitation. Laws were declared to safeguard natural habitats and protect wildlife ecosystems.
The first official tiger census in 1972 showed 1,827 tigers. This drastic decline in numbers set off the process of tiger conservation. The tiger census of 1979 is believed to be more refined using pugmark tracking. The census showed an uptick in tiger population, an indication that Project Tiger was working. The number of tiger reserves went up to 15 from the earlier nine, covering 24,700sq km approximately.
The period between 1983-84 saw a huge surge in organised poaching networks with large numbers of tiger skins and bones being smuggled to Chinese medicine markets. Sariska and Ranthambore Tiger Reserves were badly affected. Government response included the formation of anti-poaching forces, deployment of an increased number of forest guards, stricter penalties under the Wildlife Protection Act, and increased international collaboration, particularly with Interpol.
Despite initial success, the 1993 tiger census threw up a worrying trend. Numbers had dropped once again due to poaching and habitat loss. Unregulated tourism in tiger reserves, corruption of government officials and inefficiency, and strong poaching syndicates were marked as the major causes. The governmental actions included the formation of tiger protection units, community engagement programmes, and additional funding to Project Tiger.
Making headlines later was the shocking result of an investigation at Sariska, Rajasthan, which reported that all tigers in the reserve had disappeared due to poaching. The investigative report laid bare the fact that there were severe lapses in conservation efforts and corruption at multiple levels in government personnel and called for better monitoring. It led to the formation of the National Tiger Conservation Authority and the relocation of tigers from Ranthambore to Sariska.
In 2006, camera traps and DNA analysis were introduced under the guidance of the NTCA and WII (Wildlife Institute of India) to estimate tiger numbers. Camera traps capturing tiger movements and DNA analysis of scat samples were used for individual tiger identification.
Laws were strengthened after the lowest recorded tiger population in 2006. The new census technique provided a far more accurate population estimate and revealed the shocking figure of 1,411 tigers only. This was one of the lowest-ever recorded tiger populations in the country and led to the further strengthening of conservation laws.
India hosted the Global Tiger Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 2010. The nation pledged to double tiger population by 2022 under the TX2 initiative.
India became home to 70 per cent of the world’s tiger population. Several conservation innovations, like the AI-powered predictive analysis system, were introduced to map tiger movements. The number of tiger reserves went up to 54, spanning over 75,000sq km. More thrust was given to strengthen man-animal conflict management to reduce retaliation killings.
As India celebrated 50 years of Project Tiger in 2023, the nation reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding the national animal and wildlife as a whole. It was the culmination of a bold and large-scale endeavour to conserve the majestic animal that was on the brink of extinction in 1973. The official count of tigers was declared as 3,167 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a commemorative function in Mysore. Future focus areas were mapped. The International Big Cats Alliance was launched.
The tiger’s future
While there was enough cause for national jubilation as Project Tiger completed 50 glorious years in 2023 and the number of reported tiger deaths saw a further dip in 2024, animal lovers and conservationists read with surprise and sadness the news of multiple tiger deaths in 2025. In January 2025 alone, 24 Royal Bengal tiger deaths were reported across the country, the highest toll in five years. The causes of the deaths were attributed to electrocution, human activities, and territorial fights.
In Maharashtra, the deaths of as many as eight big cats were reported in a short span of time, between January 2 and 19. While three were cubs — two male and one female — the rest were adult tigers. According to news agencies, the deaths of at least two were strongly suspicious — likely cases of poaching.
Forest officials who have spoken on condition of anonymity said the government machinery needs to be further strengthened and sensitised.
Intelligence failure?
Forest officials are busy in winters controlling the extra influx of tourists to reserve forests, and this makes it easier for poachers to operate. However, in that case, should the increase in tiger mortality not be reflected seasonally and year-on-year?
These are questions that beg to be answered. While most officials assert that there is no cause for alarm just yet, one can only hope that the legacy of Project Tiger remains a bright chapter in the chronicles of Indian wildlife history and that the tiger continues to roam free in the forest, safe in its natural habitat.
Shiladitya Chaudhury is a communication consultant and a restaurateur who co-owns popular brands Oudh 1590 & Chapter 2. His passion for wildlife photography and wildlife conservation takes him to theremotest of jungles
