In which year was Project Tiger launched in India to conserve the declining number of tigers?

Correct option is B

The correct answer is (B) 1973

• Project Tiger is a tiger conservation program launched in April 1973 by the Government of India under the Wildlife protection act 1972.
• The first director of the project was Kailash Sankhala.
• As the Bengal Tiger is the national animal of India, this project aims to stem the dwindling population of the big cats and work to increase their numbers.

Additional Information:

• All the project tigers are governed and managed by a committee called the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
• There are a total of 50 Tiger Reserves in India which was governed by Project Tiger.
• Jim Corbett was the first national park to come under Project Tiger.
• Initially, when Project Tiger was rolled out in 1973, nine tiger reserves encompassing an area of 9,115 sq km were identified to be brought under special protection.
• By the late 1980s, the number of protected tiger reserves increases from 9 to 15.
• And a total area of 24,700 sq. km of forested land was reserved for the Tigers.
• The total Tiger Population as per the Tiger Census 2018 is 2,967 Tigers, which was 33% more than the 2014 Census and more than double, than the 2006 Tiger Census.
• In the 2018 Tiger Census, the highest number of tigers in Madhya Pradesh with 526 Tigers, whereas Karnataka and Uttrakhand were second and third in position with 524 and 442 Tigers respectively.
• The tiger census of 2022 put the population in the country between 3,682 and 3,925, out of which MP tops the list with 785 tigers followed by Karnataka (563), Uttarakhand (560) and Maharashtra (444) respectively.
• India hosts a total of 75% tiger population of the world.
• India is the only country to host three prime members of the Big Cats Family; Lion, Tiger, and Leopards.
• India has more than 100 National Parks and 50 Tiger Reserves.