The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has officially declared Gujarat as a tiger-bearing state after 33 years due to the presence of tigers in the Ratanmahal Sanctuary.
- Gujarat has been officially declared a tiger-bearing state after a gap of 33 years. This decision has been taken by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), which has confirmed the inclusion of Gujarat in the All India Tiger Estimation (AITE) 2026 following consistent evidence of tiger presence in the Ratanmahal Sanctuary.
- With the presence of a tiger in the Ratanmahal Wildlife Sanctuary, Gujarat has regained the status of a ‘Tiger State’ after 33 years.
- Gujarat has become the only state in India where three big cat species — lion, tiger and leopard — are found together.
- Gujarat was last included in the national tiger census in 1989, when forest officials recorded pugmarks but could not confirm sightings of tigers.
- Due to the lack of photographic or physical evidence, the state was excluded from the 1992 tiger census, effectively removing it from the list of tiger states.
- Since then, only one tiger sighting was confirmed in 2019, but the animal survived for just 15 days, which failed to establish its permanent presence. As a result, Gujarat remained outside the formal tiger estimation framework for more than three decades.
Ratanmahal Sanctuary and new tiger presence
- The turning point came when the presence of a nearly four-year-old tiger was confirmed in the Ratanmahal Sloth Bear Sanctuary, located in Dahod district on the Gujarat–Madhya Pradesh border. According to reports, the tiger entered the area in mid-February, 2025 and has been permanently present for about ten months since then.
- Continuous camera-trap images and CCTV footage provided clear evidence of permanent residence rather than temporary movement.
- Based on this data, the NTCA formally issued directions to implement tiger conservation measures in the sanctuary, paving the way for Gujarat’s return.
- It was declared a wildlife sanctuary in the year 1982. This sanctuary has the highest population of sloth bears in the entire state.
All India Tiger Assessment 2026
- One of the world’s largest wildlife population surveys, the All India Tiger Assessment 2026, was recently launched in Indore. This workshop was organised as a joint effort of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
- After the NTCA decision, Gujarat will now be part of this major exercise for the first time since 1989.
- International Tiger Day is observed on 29 July to raise awareness about the conservation of tigers (Panthera tigris) and also highlights the world’s largest wild cat, the Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica). Global Tiger Day was established in the year 2010 at the Tiger Summit held in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Tiger numbers
- From 1,827 in the year 1973, the number increased to an average of 3,682 as per the 2022 data, with a maximum estimated number of 3,925. This accounts for more than 70% of the world’s total tiger population.
- Madhya Pradesh has the largest tiger population, followed by Karnataka, Uttarakhand and Maharashtra.
- The reserves with the highest number of tigers are Corbett (Uttarakhand), Bandipur (Karnataka), Nagarhole (Karnataka) and Bandhavgarh (Madhya Pradesh).
- Nagarjunasagar–Srisailam Tiger Reserve (Andhra Pradesh) is India’s largest tiger reserve.
- Corbett (Uttarakhand) has the highest tiger density in India, followed by Bandipur (Karnataka) and Kaziranga (Assam).