
BENGALURU: Not only the number of tigers, but also the area occupied by them has increased in the country, according to a study.
The study, ‘Tiger recovery amid people and poverty’, published in the journal, Science, released on Friday stated that the tiger-occupied area increased by 30% in the last two decades. The study stated that tigers are now using forest interiors as breeding spaces and are expanding their territory.
The area occupied by them has increased annually at the pace of 2,929 sqkm. “This is the largest global population occupation, of around 1,38,200 sqkm,” said the study adding that tigers persistently continued to occupy human-free and prey-rich protected areas and at the same time colonised proximal connected habitats that are shared with around 60 million people.
The study stated that the highest occupancy was recorded in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Maharashtra. Interestingly, the 2023 tiger estimate report released in 2023, showed a rise in tiger numbers in these states compared to 2018. The study said, “Tigers became extinct or were absent from areas with a legacy of extensive bushmeat consumption or commercial poaching, even when human density was relatively low (such as in Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Northeastern states and Southeast Asia).”
Yadvendradev Jhala from Wildlife Institute of India and co-author of the study, said, “Tiger-occupied areas increased in states showing prosperity when compared to states where there is poverty and high armed conflict. Though forest areas have not increased, the area occupied by tigers has increased. They have expanded their range and in today’s time, around 40% of tigers live in areas close to human habitation.”