Uttar Pradesh has recorded a rise of 18.49 per cent in the total tiger population in the past four years, according to the state level data shared under ‘Status of Tigers’ in India report.

The Dudhwa Tiger Reserve (DTR) has been ranked number four among tiger reserves in the country.

Uttar Pradesh’s tiger count went up from 173 in the 2018 census to 205 in 2022. The rise is almost double (88.07 per cent) since 2006, when there were 109 tigers in the state.

“DTR came at number four in country with 135 tigers. The tiger population in Uttar Pradesh shows an increase of 18 per cent compared to the 2018 census. U.P’s share in the Shivalik range, which comprises Bihar, Uttarakhand and UP is 205 out of total 819 tigers reported in the Census in the Shivalik Range,” said Mamata Sanjeev Dubey, head of the forest force Uttar Pradesh and the principal chief conservator of forests.

DTR registered a growth in the tiger population from 82 in 2018 to 135 in 2022 in the reserve area. The growth was from 107 in 2018 to 153 in 2022 in the area around the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve.

Bihar, which is also in the Shivalik Range, reported 54 Tigers in 2022 as compared to 31 in 2018. Uttarakhand that had reported 442 Tigers in 2018 recorded 560 in 2022, according to the report.

The fifth cycle of the tiger census for India was released in April, giving details of the various landscapes and its tiger population.

The tiger count was 819 in the Shivalik hills and Gangetic plains landscape that includes Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Uttarakhand.

In the Shivalik hills and Gangetic plains landscape, the count went up from 646 in 2018 to 819 (camera trapped tigers) by 2022, a rise of 173.

The state count for tigers was not part of the stats released for landscape.

The Pilibhit tiger reserve has got the CA TS (Conservation Assured Tiger Standards) certificate, which is a worldwide accreditation standard for the conservation of tigers.

It comprises several elements that assure the successful restoration of the tiger population within a protected natural spot.

The certificate was given by Union minister for state for environment, forest and climate change Ashwini Chaubey at a function in New Delhi.