Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNP), a UNESCO World Heritage Site long identified with the conservation of the one-horned rhinoceros, is fast emerging as one of India’s most important habitats for the Royal Bengal tiger, with its big cat population registering a sharp rise over the past two years.
According to the latest Status of Tigers in Kaziranga, 2024 report, the park’s tiger population has increased to 148 in 2024, up from 104 in 2022, marking a significant addition of 44 tigers within two years. The figures underline Kaziranga’s growing role in India’s tiger conservation landscape.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma recently highlighted the achievement, sharing a video on social media showing a Royal Bengal tiger moving through the Kohora range of the park. The footage drew attention to the expanding presence of the apex predator in an area traditionally celebrated for its rhino population.
With 18.65 tigers per 100 square kilometres, Kaziranga now ranks as the third-highest tiger density reserve in the country, after Bandipur in Karnataka and Corbett in Uttarakhand. Conservationists see this density as a strong indicator of healthy prey availability, effective protection measures and improved habitat conditions within the reserve.
Spread across the floodplains of the Brahmaputra, Kaziranga is globally recognised for its mosaic of grasslands, wetlands and forested areas, which provide ideal conditions for large herbivores and, in turn, for predators such as tigers.
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While the park gained international prominence for sheltering the world’s largest population of the greater one-horned rhinoceros, its importance as a tiger reserve has steadily grown over the years.
The rise in tiger numbers also reflects broader national conservation efforts undertaken under Project Tiger, launched in 1973, which has focused on habitat protection, anti-poaching measures, scientific monitoring and community participation. India is home to more than 70 per cent of the world’s wild tiger population, and periodic assessments have shown a consistent upward trend in tiger numbers over the past decade.
Improved surveillance, better-equipped forest protection forces, use of technology such as camera traps, and stricter action against poaching have contributed to the recovery of tiger populations across several reserves. In Kaziranga, these measures have been complemented by sustained habitat management and efforts to reduce human-wildlife conflict in fringe areas.
The resurgence of tigers has also added to Kaziranga’s appeal as a wildlife tourism destination. Tourist arrivals have risen markedly in recent years, with visitors increasingly drawn not only by rhinos and elephants but also by the prospect of spotting tigers in the wild. Forest officials, however, have stressed the need to balance tourism growth with conservation priorities to ensure minimal disturbance to wildlife.
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