Archna Singh / Getty ImagesIn addition to protected areas, tigers live alongside farmersArchna Singh / Getty Images
In just over a decade, the number of wild tigers in India has doubled to more than 3,600, representing 75% of the global total. Tigers occupy an area of 138,000 square kilometers (km2) in the country, according to a survey by India’s Wildlife Institute and National Tiger Conservation Authority. The population has increased as a result of habitat restoration, hunting bans, political stability, and cultural reverence for the animals. The feline species is thriving in both protected, prey-rich areas and in agricultural communities and other areas shared with nearly 60 million people. “We lose 35 people to tiger attacks every year, 150 to leopards, and the same number to wild pigs. Additionally, 50,000 people die from snake bites,” Yadvendradev Vikramsinh Jhala, lead author of the study, told the BBC. If a person is killed by a tiger, the family receives financial compensation from the government and the animal responsible for the attack is taken to a reserve or zoo (Science, January 30).
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