India's tiger population increases by 30% in past three years; country now has 2,226 tigers

NEW DELHI: On the pattern of China's Panda diplomacy, India will donate tiger cubs to countries that may need them as part of global efforts for conservation of the wild cats whose number has seen a significant jump lately.

"India is willing to donate tiger cubs to the international community and play a key role in global tiger conservation efforts," Environment and Forests Minister Prakash Javadekar said at the inauguration of a two-day meet of chief wildlife wardens of tiger states and field directors of tiger reserves.

The statement came on a day when the latest census showed that tiger population in the country had risen to 2,226 in 2014, a 30 per cent jump since the last count in 2010.

"Many countries have asked us for help. It is because the world has understood that there is a need to save this species which may become extinct... whichever country wants tigers from us or wants our cooperation (for tiger conservation), we are ready to give both," Javadekar said.

Asked whether India would charge a fee from other countries for giving them tiger cubs, the minister said all these issues would come later.

Under the Panda Diplomacy, China presents giant pandas as diplomatic gifts to other countries. China revived Panda Diplomacy in the 1950s and has become known in recent decades for this practice.

National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) officials said countries like Cambodia and Laos have informally approached India regarding cooperation on this issue although nothing has been worked out "formally".

NTCA member secretary Rajesh Gopal said that in countries like Cambodia, tigers have become extinct and have informally sought India's cooperation to reverse the situation.

The government has termed the rise in the tiger population a "success story" with their numbers leaping by more than 800 in less than 10 years from 1,411 in 2006.

Officials said that although the numbers have risen, states like Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh can accommodate 1,000 more tigers in the coming days.

Javadekar credited initiatives like the crackdown on poaching, community partnership and minimisation of human- animal conflict as being the factors which have contributed to the rise in the tiger population.