India's tigers increase by 30 per cent in four years
Once endangered, India's population of big cats rose from 1,706 in 2011 to 2,226 in 2014.

New Delhi (AsiaNews/Agencies) - India's tiger population is 30 per cent larger today than it was four years ago.

Presenting the findings of the latest tiger census, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said the tiger population rose from 1,706 in 2011 to 2,226 in 2014.

He noted that the increase was due to a number of government initiatives to streamline tiger conservation, describing the results of the census as a "huge success story".

In view of this, the minister said that India was willing to donate tiger cubs to the international community and play a key role in global tiger conservation.

According to some estimates, India is home to around 70 per cent of the world's tigers.

As recently as 2008, census figures showed a tiger population as low as 1,411.