Eco-tourism holidays to India ‘could save the tigers’

Using funding from eco-tourism holidays in India could help to save the country’s tiger population, one writer has opined.

Using funding from eco-tourism holidays in India could help to save the country’s tiger population, one writer has opined.

Writing for the Guardian, Kevin Rushby said that he recently undertook two tiger watching trips in India and thought that the management of habitats using tourist money could be key in ensuring the survival of the species.

He reported that he had visited Satpura national park and Kanha National Tiger Reserve – both in Madhya Pradesh – and came away “cautiously optimistic”.

“With large areas of jungle still intact in Madhya Pradesh and plans for wildlife corridors between parks advancing, there is hope that a new eco-tourist approach will have sufficient animals to work with,” Mr Rushby concluded.

The Independent recently called India “the heartland of the tiger” thanks to its relatively large population in comparison with the rest of the world.

Tigers live in 17 states of the Republic of India and five states are believed to house more than 100 tigers each thanks to efforts by non-governmental organisations to protect them.