Tiger Reserves

India has 48 tiger reserves, and current estimates suggest that they are now home to between 1,700 and 2,200 tigers. Although this may seem a pitifully small number, the current trend is somewhat encouraging. Faced with the impending extinction of the iconic predator — chiefly because of poachers intent on supplying the lucrative Chinese traditional medicine trade — Indian authorities recently discovered resources and resolution. According to some optimistic accounts, tiger numbers have increased by 30 percent in the past five years as a result of more determined enforcement. 

India’s most famous tiger reserve is Ranthambore National Park — in part because of its location just three hours’ drive from Jaipur. Otherwise, the best-known reserves are Kanha and Bandhavgarh in the central state of Madhya Pradesh. The rapid growth of India’s middle class, some of the members of which are taking an increased interest in their country’s natural heritage, means that new names will soon become familiar. For example, Pench, Panna and Tadoba national parks are all attracting more visitors.