According to the statement made by the Prime Minister’s Office of India, Modi inaugurated the “International Big Cat Association” (IBCA) in the city of Mysuru in the state of Karnataka, which will work to protect the big cat population consisting of lions, tigers, leopards, snow leopards, pumas, jaguars and cheetahs. .
Sharing up-to-date data on the tiger population in the country at the opening, Modi mentioned the success of the “Project Tiger” initiative, which was launched 50 years ago.
Prime Minister Modi stated that the number of tigers, which was 1411 in 2006, 1706 in 2010, 2 thousand 226 in 2014, and 2 thousand 967 in 2018, increased to 3 thousand 167 by 2022.
Noting that India is home to 75 percent of the world’s tiger population, Modi emphasized that the success of the project is a source of pride not only for India but also for the whole world.
Indigenous peoples in India are reacting to the conversion of forests, which were once their habitats, into conservation areas under the “Project Tiger”.
Forced eviction from their centuries-old lands to protect tiger reserves, tribes view their removal from their ancestral lands as a violation of human rights.
Members of different tribes from 46 villages gathered in the Nagarhole National Park, known as the tiger reserve, in Karnataka state on April 24, protested the government.
Indigenous people said, “Nagahole forests belong to our ancestors. Animals and forests are part of us, our family.” chanted slogans.
With the project implemented in 1973, the number of tiger reserves, which was 9 at that time, was increased to 53 and taken under protection.