India's tigers increased by 2,200 in 16 years

The country's tiger population has increased from 1,411 in 2006 to 3,682 in 2022, the government reported to the Parliament on Monday. This was stated in a written response to the Lok Sabha by Union culture minister G. Kishan Reddy.

Reddy was asked if any bird, flower, or animal had been designated as the national bird, national flower, or national animal and provided protection along with the special status, bearing in mind the sentiments of the nation's citizens. The minister responded that he had been informed by the ministry of environment, forests, and climate change that the tiger and peacock had been designated as the "national animal" and "national bird"

"As the said notifications of the Government of India were not forthcoming in the official records of MoEF&CC for quite some time, the Ministry renotified Tiger and Peacock as 'National Animal’ and National Bird' respectively, on 30th May 2011," he added.

The tiger and the peacock are included in Schedule 1 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, which gives them "the highest degree of protection from hunting. In addition, important habitats of these animals have also been declared as Protected Areas," he said in his response. He added that the population of tigers in the country has "increased from 1,411 in 2006 to 3,682 in 2022."