Assam's conservation story is also significant because the population of tigers in its neighbourhood has shown a decline; Arunachal Pradesh for instance in 2006 registered 14 tigers but in 2010, it was nil.
Assam in 2006 recorded a population of 70 tigers but in 2010 its population has grown to 143. The estimates are part of the detailed report on the All India Tiger Estimation-2010 released here today by Union Minister of State for Environment and Forest Jayanthi Natarajan.
According to the report, in Mizoram the population of the big cat has declined by one from six to five.
In the category of North-East Hills and Brahmaputra Plains, the tiger population has increased from 100 in 2006 to 148 in 2010.
Countrywide, there are 1571 to 1875 tigers in India today which constitutes about 60 to 65 per cent tiger population of the world. According to the report, there is increase in number of tigers in tiger reserves and protected areas. The census of 2010 covered the areas of Sundarbans, some areas of North-east, Jharkhand, which were not covered during last census. Read the full report here.
Source: Kalyan Barooah, The Assam Tribune, New Delhi.
