Bengal Tiger

Project Tiger turned a vanishing species around.

India is home to about 70% of the world's wild tigers. The Bengal tiger was declared the national animal in 1973, the same year India launched Project Tiger — a conservation program that established protected reserves and is widely credited with saving the species from extinction in the country.

Why this animal?

Tigers had been hunted as trophies during the colonial era to the brink of extinction; by 1972 India had perhaps 1,800 left. Naming it the national animal made the tiger a focal point for conservation and national identity at the same time.

Things to know

·India's tiger population has more than doubled since Project Tiger began, now estimated at over 3,600.
·Every tiger's stripes are unique — like a fingerprint — and the pattern continues on their skin.
·Tigers can leap horizontally 30 feet and vertically 12 feet.
·Unlike most cats, tigers love water and are strong swimmers.
·A tiger's roar can be heard over 3 km away — it includes infrasound that vibrates listeners' chests.

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