The fifth tiger reserve will soon come up in Rajasthan's Karauli and Dholpur districts and take India's total reserve to 54. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) approved a proposal in this regard. The NTCA approved the proposal on August 4 and in-principle approval was cleared by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on August 22.
There has been a significant increase in the number of big cats from 2,967 in 2018 to 3,682 in 2022, an annual rise of 6 per cent, according to government data. With a 50 per cent increase in the last four years, Madhya Pradesh has the maximum number of tigers in the country (785), followed by Karnataka (563), Uttarakhand (560), and Maharashtra (444). The number of tigers in Rajasthan has increased from 32 in 2006 to 88 in 2022.
Before the fifth tiger reserve, there four other reserves in Ranthambore, Sariska, Mukundra Hills and Ramgarh Vishdhari.
Ranthambore: The tiger reserve was declared one of the Project Tiger reserves in 1973 and became a national park on 1 November 1980. It is too in Rajasthan. The number of tigers in Ranthambore has increased from 63 to 80 in two years. These include 25 tigers, 31 tigresses and 24 cubs.
Sariska: The wildlife sanctuary was declared a national park in 1982. With a total area of about 273.8 km, the reserve is situated in Alwar district. Tiger numbers have risen to 27 in the reserve.
Mukundra Hills: Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve is situated between two parallel mountains. It was established in 2004. Now, it is the home of four tigers which is recently shifted here from the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve.
Ramgarh Vishdhari: Ramgarh Visdhari Tiger Reserve lies in the southeastern part of Rajasthan in Bindi district with representation of both Vindhyan and Aaravalli elements.
