WHAT DO TIGERS NEED ?

Although the tiger is a versatile species that can thrive in an extremely wide variety of natural habitats, these need to be fairly intact and relatively undisturbed, with an abundant supply of large-sized prey animals. A forest that is full of only langur monkeys or mongooses cannot support viable tiger populations.

One of the primary reasons why large areas of forest in India no longer have tigers is because local people have hunted and eaten away most of the prey animals. So, while the direct poaching of tigers is contributing to their rapid decline now, it is the steady erosion of the tiger’s prey base that has resulted in low numbers of tigers to start with.  Even today, reserves with a super abundance of prey produce surplus tigers.  In these areas, even if a few tigers get killed every year by poaching or other factors, the tiger population can withstand these pressures and remain stable.  But wipe out the prey, and there’s no chance of recovery.