The Indian government submitted a report on the tiger population in the country to its apex court. According to a 2018 report, there are 2,967 tigers in the country spread across 53 tiger reserves.

“A lot of work has been done to conserve tigers and increase their population, India has become home to more than 70% tiger population in the world”, the government told the Apex Court. The fifth cycle of All India Tiger Estimation is currently ongoing and will be completed in 2023. 

Meanwhile, India will get 12 majestic cheetahs from Africa. The government of India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation with The Republic of South Africa to re-introduce cheetahs to the Asian country.

Initially, 12 cheetahs are going to be flown from South Africa to India in the month of February. Last year, eight cheetahs were brought from Namibia. This move will be vital in restoring the cheetah population in India. It will have far-reaching conservation consequences. The aim is to achieve a number of ecological objectives, including re-establishing the functional role of cheetahs within the historical range in India. It will also help in improving the livelihood of the local communities. 

This project has been undertaken by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) in collaboration with the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), South African National Parks (SANParks), the Cheetah Range Expansion Project, and the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) in South Africa together with the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).