born in Nainital, Uttarakhand, on 25 July 1875
father was a postmaster and mother, an influential quasi real estate agent
two years after his death in 1955, India’s first national park was renamed after him

Status of Tiger conservation in Bharat

2006 - 1,411 tigers
2014 - 2226 tigers
2018 - report yet to be published

Spillover effect:

the increase in tiger population in a limited area has led to a spillover effect

Sad implementation of WPA, 1972

Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 punishes those who kill animals, still there have been numerous cases of tiger killings in which no accused has been proven to be guilty.

Negligent forest officials:

The Bandipur forest fire in Karnataka earlier this year, which destroyed thousands of hectares of forest cover, reveals the incompetence of the authorities and their reluctance to deal with such crises.
In 2004, the Chinese medicine scandal broke out, and tigers were hunted and snared in large numbers, but officials refused to take it up seriously.
- Conservationist and author Valmik Thapar, "cited the example of Africa as a great case study on how to monetise wildlife successfully and said, “It is the only means to get revenues. We have to understand that tourism is not a disturbance."

November 2025

Tiger safaris only in ‘non-forest land’ or ‘degraded forest land’, not in core habitats, says SC

Specific directions for the Corbett tiger reserve

Specific set of directions were issued to restore the Corbett Tiger Reserve where illegal constructions, roadworks and tree felling took place during the establishment of the Pakhrau Tiger Safari.

Accepting the recommendations of the Expert Committee, constituted on top court’s orders in March 2024, the bench directed the Uttarakhand government to begin demolition of all unauthorised structures within three months and to file a compliance affidavit within one year.

The top court directed the Uttarakhand Chief Wildlife Warden, in consultation with the Central Empowered Committee, to submit a comprehensive restoration plan within two months.

It emphasised that the restoration must follow the Expert Committee’s methodology, including removal of above-ground constructions, excavation of hard pan material, restoration of hydrological flows and plantation using only native species. Print