Publication Date:
Mon, 2011-03-28 23:59
But the government on Monday raised concern over a sharp decline in the habitat where tigers were found, which could shrink further if the government goes ahead with new development projects. “We have a mixed bag,” Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said at the release of the tiger census in New Delhi. “We have reason to feel satisfied with what we have done. But the threats are imminent.” The Indian government has for decades been fighting a losing battle to conserve tiger numbers against poaching, which feeds a lucrative cross-border trade in body parts, and the loss of natural habitat. Tiger numbers have plummeted 97 percent from 100,000 at the turn of the last century.
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