International Tiger Day 2022: The International Tiger Day also known as World Tiger Day is celebrated across the world on July 29 every year.

Key Points:

• This day is observed to raise awareness among the people to protect natural habitats of tigers, raising public awareness on risks and challenges faced by tigers worldwide.
• This year marks the 12th International Tiger Day.

History of the day:

• It was decided to observe 29th July every year as International Tiger Day on 23rd November 2010, during Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit 2010 held in Russia.
• During the summit, representatives from 13 countries declared that; tiger-populated countries will start initiatives to double the population of tiger by 2022.
• In 2010 the number of tigers in India was approximately 1700.

Significance of International Tiger Day:

• International Tiger Day is celebrated so that people get conscious and take measures to conserve the tigers.
• Tigers play a crucial role in global ecology.
• They are, in fact, the largest species of the cat family and are crucial to preserving the planet's diversity and health.
• Tigers can dwell in a broad range of natural settings, including harsh, icy woods in the Russian Far East, grasslands, mangrove swamps, and wooded areas.
• From the Terai Arc Landscape in the north to the Western Ghats in the south, India houses more wild tigers than any other nation.
• Although they are thought to be extinct in Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Vietnam, their numbers are declining in mainland southeast Asia.
• On International Tiger Day, countries come together and discuss various ways to conserve the tiger. Events and campaigns are organized on International Tiger Day to create awareness among the public.

Risks faced by Tigers:

• Tigers are placed in the category of endangered species as their Population are declining rapidly due to climate change, trees are being cut down so they are losing their dwelling place and they are also being traded and hunted illegally.
• As per World Wildlife Fund (WWF), number of wild tigers have decreased by over 95% and only 3900 wild tigers are left in the world.

Tigers in India:

• Tiger is the national animal of India and is home to more than half of world’s wild tigers, with an estimated 2,226 number of Tigers.
• However, since 2012, India has lost 1,059 tigers.
• Since 2012, India has lost 1,059 tigers. Madhya Pradesh also known as ‘tiger state’ of India recorded the highest number of deaths.
• As per National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), 75 tigers have lost life so far in 2022.

India's Theme for International Tiger Day 2022:

India's Theme for International Tiger Day 2022 is “India launches Project Tiger to revive the tiger population”.