Indian tigers even more threatened than previously thought
A census being carried out by The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has discovered the amount of Indian tigers living in the wild could actually be half the number previously counted. In 2002 the figure was around 3600, but recent numbers are between 1300 and 1500. The new census, which has been undertaken thanks to funding from the Indian Government to the tune of around US$10 million, uses new methods of counting so it can't be directly compared to previous counts. However, it's seen as a much more accurate figure, so the low numbers are causing concern amongst conservationists. The main threats to the beautiful creatures are still from poaching and habitat destruction.
"Indian tigers are not entirely down and out," said Sujoy Banerjee, head of the species conservation program at the Indian branch of the international conservation organization WWF. "But if we don't wake up now, the only tigers we will see will be at the zoo."
[via National Geographic]
