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India’s tigers seem to be a massive success story — many scientists aren’t sure

Researchers question official figures showing a sharp rise in the tiger population, and the country’s plans to protect the species.
  1. Gayathri Vaidyanathan

    1. Gayathri Vaidyanathan is a science journalist in Bengaluru.

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A tigress leads her three cubs through a hole in a fence to feed.

A tiger and her cubs leave India’s Bandhavgarh National Park in search of prey, which is scarce inside the reserve. Credit: Steve Winter/National Geographic

Central India — The Maruti Gypsy 44 sped along a jungle track, jolting us out of our seats. We had signed up for a wolf safari, but the trip leader had another quarry in mind. The vehicle barrelled towards a pungent smell on a hillside — a fresh tiger kill.

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Nature 574, 612-616 (2019)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-03267-z

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