India's Tigers May Be Rebounding, in Rare Success for Endangered Species
New population numbers reflect better tracking and progress against poaching, say scientists.
More money has been spent on tiger conservation than on preserving any other species in the world, yet wildlife biologists have been seemingly unable to stop the decline of the iconic big cat in the face of poaching and habitat loss.
That appeared to change Tuesday, when the government of India—the country is home to most of the world's wild tigers—announced preliminary results of the latest tiger census that reveal a surge in the number of the big cats in its preserves over the past seven years.
India's environment minister, Prakash Javadekar, announced that its scientists had counted 2,226 wild tigers in the country, up from 1,411 seven years ago, a rise of nearly 58 percent. The country now hosts
