- By Prerna Targhotra
- Mon, 29 Jul 2024 09:51 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
International Tiger Day 2024: Every year, on July 29, the special occasion of International Tiger Day is observed across the globe to raise awareness about tiger conservation and threats experienced by these endangered species. This unique day promotes the efforts to save tigers and inspires collection action for global survival. International Tiger Day was first established in 2010 at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit to highlight the alarming decline of the tiger population.
International Tiger Day also aims to raise awareness about the urgent need for tiger conservation and to prevent poaching and habitat destruction. The theme for International Tiger Day 2024 focuses on strengthening international conservation efforts. As this special day is here, we have brought some interesting facts about tigers that may surprise you.
International Tiger Day 2024 (Image Credits: Canva)
Lesser-Known Facts About Tigers
Similar to the human fingerprint, each tiger’s stripe pattern is one of a kind. Individual tigers are identified by their unique stripes and counted using camera trap images to estimate population numbers.
Do you know how tigers communicate? A tigress usually uses white spots on the back of their ears to communicate with their cubs.
In 2018, India’s national tiger survey made it into the Guinness Book of World Records for being the largest camera trap exercise in the world.
For tigers only one in ten hunts are successful; a large deer can provide a tiger with one week's food.
Although tigers have been around longer than humans in the world, the impacts of human development have caused their population to decline by 97% since the beginning of the last century.
Due to the significant decline in tiger population, they have been called ‘endangered’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
International Tiger Day 2024 (Image Credits: Canva)
In 2023, the Global Tiger Forum estimated that there are around 5,500 tigers left in the wild.
Around 3,700 of the world's wild tigers are in India.
A tiger can typically travel 6-12 miles during a night’s hunting. During the day, a tiger’s stripes act as camouflage, allowing it to blend in with its surroundings for stalking and ambushing its prey.