2019-08-10_The_Week_Junior_UK

Animal d the environment

TheWeekJunior•10August

RoaringsuccessforIndia’s

wildtigerpopulation

10

T

he number of wild Bengal tigers in India has

increased byathirdsince2014.Anewlyreleased

survey,whichwascarried out by the

Indian government in 2018, found

that therewere2,967 tigers,

compared to 2,226 when the

last surveywastaken in 2014.

Thereare only around 3,900 wild

tigers left in the world and they

areconsidered to be an

endangered species.

The rise in tiger numberswas

celebrated by Indian prime minister

NarendraModi, who tweeted that the

results of the survey “would makeevery

Indian, every naturelover happy”.Modi said the

increase wasdue to the setting up of moreprotected

areasinthe country.In2018 therewere860,

up from 692 in 2014. Someexperts

have pointed out that the rise in

numberscould be down to better

counting methods, however.The

survey used 26,838cameratraps

to spot the wild animals.

It’sthought that in 1900

therewereabout 100,000 wild

tigers in the world, but by 2010

that number hadfallen to 3,200.

The declinewasdown toacombination

of hunting and people destroying the

tigers’ habitat forfarming and building. Despite the

recovery in tiger numbers, however,thereisstill

conflict between India’speople and thecountry’s

tigers. Withapopulation of 1.3 billion people,

humans often have no choicebut to live close to tiger

habitats. Tigers areknown toeatfarmers’ livestock,

such as pigs andcattle, and occasionally even attack

people. Asaresult, people sometimes chase or hunt

the tigers to drive them away.Wildlifeconservationist

Neha Sinha toldTheGuardiannewspaper that

although the increase in numbers isapositiveresult,

the tigers will now need morespacetolive. The

government andconservationists areworking

together to provide both people and tigers with

protected areassotheycanlive peacefully together.

This much-loved area near

Swanseaisf ull of things to do.

It marksthe edge of the

beautiful andcastle-studded

GowerPeninsula, and has

severalcoastal landmarks.

Take atrip toalighthouse built

in 1794, thenwander along

Mumbles Pier.Built in 1898,

it has an amusement arcade,

café ,restaurant and a

bowling alley.Onsunny

days Pier Beach is greatfun,

and if itrains there’salways

the option of tasty fish and

chips under shelter.

Find out moreattinyurl.com/TWJ-Mumbles

Bengal tigers aremainlyfound in India

but also live in Bangladesh, Bhutan,

China, Myanmar and Nepal. They

preferfore sts and grassland, and tend

to live alone. They usually hunt at

night, and have an average lifespan in

the wild of about 10 years. Adult

males arelarger thanfemales–they

weigh 240 kilograms on average and

grow up to three metres long.

Tiger factsand figures

to three re

Bengal tigers

hunt at night.

Atiger mother

grooms her cubs.

Touristswatch a

prowling tiger.

PLACEOFTHEWEEK

Mumbles,Wales

View of the

lighthouse.

BIG

APPETITES

ABengal tiger

caneat up

toaround

27 kilograms

in one night.