REWILDING INDIA

Twelve inspiring wildlife conservation stories from across the country

- OT Staff

INDIA IS NOW HOME TO 3,167 TIGERS, 200 MORE THAN IT HAD FOUR YEARS AGO, according to estimates from the latest tiger census. Releasing the report in April 2023 at an event to mark 50 years of the Project Tiger campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that "India is considered to be one of the biggest and most secure habitats of the tiger." The campaign to save India's national animal was launched in 1973 by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi after their numbers became worryingly low. Their population in the wild, estimated in the tens of thousands at the time of independence, had been reduced to around 1,800 only. Several initiatives to protect India's national animal, including a ban on hunting and awareness drives in villages, have resulted in a turnaround.

Project Tiger is just one of the many successful conservation stories in India. In this issue, we look at some of the most unique and impactful conservation stories around the country from stabilising the more charismatic species such as the tiger to rewilding the unassuming pygmy hog, the smallest (and one of the rarest) wild pigs in the world. Then there is the magnificent barasingha, the state animal of Madhya Pradesh, which has seen a revival in Kanha, after being close to extinction for a long time. Many of these conservation initiatives have been decades in the making, and highlight the collective effort of conservationists and local communities who are working relentlessly to protect endangered species.

PROJECT TIGER'S ROARING SUCCESS