In addition to poaching, tigers face the population of Indian farmers trying to have a better standard of living. These people are in need of space for their families as well as their large numbers of livestock. These peasant farmers go to protected parks every day to chop down wood and to feed their cattle on the wild greenery. As a result, the tiger's food is often eaten by the cattle, making it much harder for the cat to find food. If the tiger would turn to the cattle for food, he will find himself dead: even a single cow or ox is a huge investment for the poor farmers. The farmers regularly trap, poison, or shoot the tigers if they encounter problems with predation in their herds (Shah 110).
In response to decreasing tiger numbers, Project Tiger was launched in1972 to outline and implement various conservational strategies. Alarming results from a nation-wide census indicated that tiger populations had dropped from 40,000 early this century to 1,800 in 1972. Project Tiger put a stop to the ritual hunt of tigers, and, just as importantly, it created several protected reserves for the tigers to live in. With the steps taken by Project Tiger, the tiger population bounced back with surprising resilience; by 1988, the population had doubled to over 3,000 cats. .
Although poaching and human encroachment play their parts in the demise of the tiger, perhaps the most significant cause of the species" decline can be attributed to habitat loss caused by industrial development. As a result of this development, tiger populations become isolated in pockets of greenery cleaved apart by regions of human development. These small populations are vulnerable to local disasters as well as the inevitable inbreeding and loss of genetic diversity that results from it (Sahgal 2).
Besides the Ranthambhore foundation and Project Tiger, there are hundreds of other organizations and charities devoted to preserving this animal in the wild.
