The results of the just declared tiger census would make every Indian, every nature lover happy.

Nine long years ago, it was decided in St. Petersburg that the target of doubling the tiger population would be 2022. We in India completed this target four years early: PM

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) July 29, 2019

"We reaffirm our commitment towards protecting the tiger," Modi said during the Global Tiger Day launch of a report on the native tiger population. "The result of the just-declared tiger census would make every Indian, every nature lover happy."

The government survey, which is conducted every four years, draws information about the tiger population from 26,000 camera traps.

Revitalizing the Species

India, along with other countries home to tiger populations, has increased conservation efforts after the global population dropped to an all-time low of 3,200 in 2010.

"Nine years ago, it was decided in St Petersburg that the target of doubling the tiger population would be 2022," Modi said. "We, in India, completed this target four years early."

New Delhi has set aside 50 habitats exclusively for tigers spanning the Himalayan foothills to the Western Ghats. Authorities believe up to 40,000 tigers lived in the wild when India gained independence from British colonization in 1947.

The decline in the tiger population has been connected to poaching and a growing taste for tiger parts in traditional medicines in Asia.

@WHO’s recognition of Traditional Chinese Medicine may push multiple species into further danger of extinction. Many animals used for #TCM are not protected through CITES. We must condemn the use of animal parts in traditional remedies #ProtectOurSpecies https://t.co/t98lptpS1H

— Earth Day Network (@EarthDayNetwork) May 31, 2019