AMN / WEB DESK
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emphasised that wildlife and environmental conservation have shown good results in India where preserving nature is part of our culture. He was speaking at the Golden Jubilee celebration of Project Tiger in Mysuru today. He pointed at the culture of worshipping nature and Tiger in various communities in India. He also said Cheetah born after an interval of 75 years in India is a testimonial to improving biodiversity in the country.
Today India has the highest number of Asiatic elephants, single horn rhinos, leopards and tigers. The forest cover has increased to 2,200 sq. km and eco-sensitive zones have increased to 486. During the event, the Prime Minister released a report on the Status of Tigers in India which puts the Tiger population in India to 3167 from 2967 in 2018. He launched the big cat conservation international alliance to prevent poaching and also released a commemorative coin on Project Tiger. The big cat alliance will help the growth in the population of Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Puma, Jaguar and Cheetah in several countries, encouraging training, research and exchanging best practices.
Earlier the Prime Minister visited the Tiger Reserves in Bandipur, Theppakadu and Madhumalai in Karnataka and Tamilnadu today. He interacted with the elephant camp task force members and also the forest staff Bomma and Belli, the husband and wife duo who were pictured in the Oscar-winning documentary Elephant Whisperers. He also witnessed the measures taken to prevent poaching and smuggling of wild animals and their body parts.