International Tiger Day Highlights Conservation Milestones and History

International Tiger Day is observed each year on July 29. The date traces back to the first global observance in 2010, when China launched public‑awareness campaigns marking the day, predating the later International Tiger Conservation Forum held in St. Peterburg, Russia, in November 2010.

The forum brought together leaders from the 13 remaining tiger‑range nations, noting that fewer than 3,200 wild tigers survived compared with about 100,000 a century ago. Participants adopted the TX2 goal – to double the wild tiger population by 2022 – and pledged coordinated actions against poaching, habitat loss, and illegal trade. Conservation groups and local communities continue to work toward protecting tigers and the forests they inhabit.

A photographer recounts his first encounter with wild tigers in India’s Bandhavgarh forest, emphasizing the challenges of photographing these elusive cats and underscoring the broader importance of tiger conservation for biodiversity.