Tigers in Ranthambhore 1990s

After the disaster of 1990 – 91, Ranthambhore went through a phase of recovery that took over a decade. According to the State government after the poaching of 1990 – 91 there were 16 tigers left in the park. However, the reality was that there were barely 10 tigers left. Some people who have been…

Crisis of 1990-91

The end of 1980s was probably the best time for tigers in Ranthambhore. There were over 40 of them – which was amazingly high density for a park that is less than 400 square kilometers. People were coming from all over the world to see tigers. At that time Ranthambhore was definitely the best place…

Tigers in India and Ranthambhore Part II

When the Project Tiger was launched in 1973, Ranthambhore was one of the first 9 reserves that was taken up under the project. At that time there were hardly any tigers in Ranthambhore. Mr. Fateh Singh Rathore of the Tiger Watch, who was the Director of Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve for a long time, was in-charge…

Tiger in India and Ranthambhore Part I

Before 1900s most of India had thick forest cover, a lot of prey for carnivores and as a result a large part of India was prime tiger habitat. Some “experts” have estimated that there were over 40,000 tigers in India at the “turn of the century. This may be a bit of an exaggeration but…

Part 2 – Background and History of Tiger conservation

By the end of the first quarter of the 20th century, the need for conservation of forests was being felt all over India. The population was growing rapidly and the forests were coming under pressure. In Ranthambhore, the system of “royalty permits” for commercial felling (mainly for firewood and charcoal) of entire blocks of forests…

Background and History of Tiger conservation

The Ranthambhore National Park, which is a part of the much larger Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve, lies in the Sawai Madhopur district of eastern Rajasthan. The river Chambal forms a natural boundary of the Park towards the east, and on the eastern shore of Chambal lies the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. To the northeast…