‘Ek Tha Tiger’ may soon be the only ‘tiger’ one will be allowed the luxury of seeing up close, albeit in the huge wide screens of a multiplex.  In its latest move, the Supreme Court has banned tourism in the core areas of 41 tiger reserves in India, in order to strengthen the conservation  efforts being made to save tigers.

Corbett, Kanha, Periyar, Ranthambore and Bandhavgarh are the more popular reserves, attracting 150,000-200,000 visitors each every year. Activists worry that the large number of visiting tourists disturbs the habitat of these creatures, upsetting the delicate balance of their ecosystem. Tourism in these reserves needs to be managed well, otherwise it can lead to added stress on the habitat of tigers.

 

Since the best tiger sightings are in the core areas, the experience of coming  across this magnificent beast in the jungles of the country’s national parks and reserves will become a limited experience.

A century ago, an estimated number of 40,000 tigers wandered in the forests of India. Today however, there are 3000 odd tigers left in the world, and India is home to roughly half of them. A tiger census published late in March 2011 estimated that there are 1,706 tigers roaming free in India.