The world's monitored wildlife populations fell 73% on average between 1970 and 2022, the WWF's Living Planet Report found. India's flagship species moved the other way: wild tigers more than doubled since 2010 to about 3,700, Asiatic lions climbed from 674 in 2020 to 891 in 2025, and greater one-horned rhinos now number over 3,300.
India holds more than 70% of the world's wild tigers through 'mission mode' programs like Project Tiger (1973) and Project Elephant (1992), which fund reserves, anti-poaching units and camera-trap monitoring. The cost is rising conflict. Over 600 people died in encounters from 2014 to 2024. In October 2026, the Madhya Pradesh High Court asked for a report on two more tiger deaths at Kanha National Park, and a relocated tigress crossed into Assam.
Why it matters
A crowded, middle-income country holds 70% of the world's wild tigers — proof conservation can work, at the cost of rising attacks on people.
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Key Indicators
3,682
India's wild tiger population (2022 census)
More than doubled from 1,706 in 2010; India holds over 70% of the world's wild tigers.
891
Asiatic lions in Gujarat (2025)
Up from 674 in 2020 and 327 in 2000, confined to the Gir landscape.
3,300+
Greater one-horned rhinos
India holds nearly all of the species' global population, mostly in Assam's Kaziranga park.
13,874
Common leopards
A non-big-cat species also recovering alongside the flagship animals.
-73%
Average global wildlife decline, 1970-2022
WWF Living Planet Report figure across 5,790 vertebrate species; freshwater down 85%.
600+
Human deaths from wildlife conflict, 2014-2024
Fatalities climbed after 2022 as tigers increased about 6% a year.
6.1%
Annual tiger population growth
Estimated growth rate as tigers expand into multiple-use habitats.
19
Tigers killed on one rail route in three years
Freight trains through tiger habitat near Chandrapur killed at least 19 tigers in the three years to mid-2026.
17 events
Latest: October 26th, 2026 · 2 weeks ago
Showing 8 of 17
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October 2026
Court seeks report on two more tiger deaths at Kanha
LatestLegal
The Madhya Pradesh High Court asked for a report on two tiger deaths at Kanha in September and October. It deferred a public interest petition, which claims about 20 tigers died in six months from canine distemper, to November 16.
Relocated Buxa tigress enters Assam
Incident
The three-year-old tigress BTR-TF1, released in West Bengal's Buxa Tiger Reserve, crossed into Assam's Raimona National Park and killed a domestic pig. Bengal and Assam forest teams are monitoring her, and tranquilising her will depend on whether she nears villages.
Tigress T-2403 spotted with three cubs in Ranthambore
Census
Forest officials saw tigress T-2403 with three cubs in Ranthambore Tiger Reserve. The cub count is unconfirmed and will be checked with camera-trap images.
Man-eater tiger T-122 captured in Maharashtra
Incident
Forest officials captured tiger T-122 in a 30-by-30-foot cage in Sawali taluka, Chandrapur district. The tiger had killed three shepherds and injured another person, and it was linked to 23 livestock deaths.
Human Progress reports India's growing wildlife populations
Report
Human Progress reports India's tiger, lion and rhino populations growing as state capacity protects species.
WWF Living Planet Report shows global decline, Indian gains
Report
WWF Living Planet Report shows 73% global wildlife decline with India's gains highlighted.
May 2026
Female tiger killed by freight train in Chandrapur
Incident
A female tiger was struck and killed by a freight train in Chandrapur, one of at least 19 tigers killed on that route in three years. Between 2021 and May 2025, 150 people in the area were killed by tigers.
April 2026
Asia's longest wildlife underpass opens along Delhi-Dehradun Expressway
Infrastructure
A 12-km (7.5-mi) underpass beneath the new Delhi-Dehradun Expressway (NH-72) opens. Leopards, elephants, deer and antelope are among the species recorded using it.
2025
Asiatic lions reach 891; snow leopards first assessed
Tiger census hits 3,682; India imports African cheetahs to re-establish an extinct species.
2020
Asiatic lion count reaches 674
Census
Asiatic lion count reaches 674 in Gujarat.
2018
Tiger census rises to 2,967
Census
Tiger census rises to 2,967, up sharply from 2014.
2014
National tiger census records 2,226 tigers
Census
National tiger census records 2,226 tigers, the baseline for the current recovery.
2000
Asiatic lion count at 327
Census
Asiatic lion population confined to Gujarat's Gir landscape estimated at 327.
1992
Project Elephant launches
Policy
Project Elephant launches to protect elephant herds, habitats and migration routes.
1973
Project Tiger launches
Policy
Project Tiger launches as India's national animal nears extinction.
1952
Cheetah declared extinct in India
Extinction
India declares the cheetah extinct within its borders after centuries of hunting and habitat loss.
Scenarios
1
Next tiger census puts India above 4,000 tigers
Likely
Resolves by Q2 2027
Discussed by: WWF Living Planet Report; National Tiger Conservation Authority
India's next All India Tiger Estimation is due to run in 2026. If the 6.1% annual growth holds, the count should pass 4,000, up from 3,682 in 2022. A count above 4,000 would reinforce federal funding for Project Tiger and support plans to export tigers to Cambodia and other countries.
2
Rising conflict forces a central policy response
Possible
Resolves by End of 2027
Discussed by: State forest departments; Qamar Qureshi and YS Jhala of the Wildlife Institute of India
With 45% of tigers living in multiple-use habitats shared with some 66 million people, deaths and property damage keep climbing. Analysts expect the central government or a state like Maharashtra or Gujarat to introduce a formal conflict policy — new compensation pools, insurance schemes, or authorized problem-animal intervention — within the next year or two.
3
Non-flagship species keep declining outside protected areas
Likely
Resolves by Q2 2027
Discussed by: YS Jhala; Wildlife Institute of India assessments
India's recovery has focused on species inside reserves. YS Jhala says the great Indian bustard, Indian wolf and foxes have no comparable strategy because they live mostly outside protected areas. If their next censuses show continued declines with no new recovery plan, India's conservation story splits: charismatic species thriving, open-country species vanishing.
4
Wildlife underpasses become standard on new road and rail projects
Possible
Resolves by End of 2027
Discussed by: National Tiger Conservation Authority; Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
India opened a 12-km wildlife underpass beneath the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway in April 2026, billed as Asia's longest. If camera records show steady use by tigers and other animals, similar crossings could be written into new highways and rail lines that cut through tiger habitat. Rail deaths (at least 19 on one route in three years) give the case urgency.
Historical Context
3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.
1 of 3
by 1952
India's cheetah extinction (1952)
After centuries of hunting and habitat loss, the cheetah was declared extinct within India's borders in 1952. India became one of the few large nations to lose one of its big cats completely.
Then
The species vanished from India while surviving in Africa.
Now
Starting in 2022, India began importing African cheetahs to re-establish the species, ending a 70-year absence.
Why this matters now
It frames the scale of India's turnaround — from losing a big cat to actively restoring one through the same conservation machinery.
2 of 3
2000s–2020s
Malaysia's tiger collapse (2000s–2020s)
Over the past two decades, tiger numbers collapsed in parts of Asia that are richer and less crowded than India, including Malaysia. India's population more than doubled over the same period.
Then
Malaysia's wild tigers fell to critically low numbers despite stronger state resources.
Now
The contrast shows that money and sparse populations did not by themselves save tigers — enforcement and protected-area policy did.
Why this matters now
It highlights that India's recovery was a policy choice, not an accident of geography or wealth.
3 of 3
2020s
Cambodia's tiger export (2020s)
Tigers went extinct in Cambodia, and India agreed to export tigers to help repopulate the country. The move turned India from a conservation importer into a source of apex predators for other nations.
Then
India committed to provide tigers for release in Cambodian forests.
Now
It marks a step toward re-establishing tigers in a country where they had disappeared.
Why this matters now
It shows India's wildlife recovery has moved beyond its own borders into regional restoration.
