India has about 70 percent of the world’s wild tigers (Panthera tigris). The nation has spent much time and energy protecting the regal cats. Officials are now excited because four or five tigresses have recently given birth to cubs in the same reserve. The Indian tiger population is increasing.
According to the Free Press Journal the mini baby boom has occurred in the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. The reserve is adjacent to Bandhavgarh National Park. The reserves are located in Madhya Pradesh in central India. The capital of Madyha Pradesh is Bhopal The park and reserve are home to much diverse wildlife including high tiger density.
Acccording to the Free Press Journal:
“The officials at Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve are overjoyed as four to five tigresses have given birth to cubs recently. The cubs are one to five months old. Spotted with cubs in tourist and non-tourists range, tourists are missing no chance to click their photos, which are going viral on social media.
“Tigresses are being spotted with cubs at four to five places,” Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve deputy director Prakash Kumar Verma told Free Press. Of late, they were seen moving in Tala and Khitoli ranges with their cubs. One tigress is being seen along with four cubs in Tala and another tigress is spotted with three cubs in Khitoli range.”
The cubs are thought to number between two and four per female. Camera traps are expected to determine the exact number. Partly because the area has a high tiger density conflict with humans has occurred, including one fatality.
India has been very successful in efforts to increase tiger numbers, which have doubled. TheIndian tiger population has reached nearly 3,000 indiciduals. The government is very proud of its conservation success. India wrestles with growing population and increased urbanization. That impacts wildlife. Success in increasing tiger numbers may decrease habitat for other species, a problem the nation is seeking to solve. India is also launching Project Cheetah, an effort to bring that cat (Acinonyx jubatus) back
to land it was driven from in the 1950s.
(The ambitious project intends to bring 50 cheetahs t0o India from Namibia. The cats are expected to start a breeding population. They can then bring a natural balance to the areas they are introduced too. India is also looking to protect its population of caracals. Caracals, (Caracal caracal) are mid-size predators. Their population numbers are low in India. With Indian tiger population increasing, India probably has most of the tools in place for successful conservation efforts ofr other big cats. India is home to almost half of the world’s wild cat species. Many of them are threatened in India. The country has much work to do.