Panthera tigris, the magnificent tiger, is a striped animal. It has a thick yellow fur coat with dark stripes on it. The tiger’s grace, strength, agility, and enormous power have earned it the honour of being India’s national animal.
Out of eight races of the species known, the Indian race, the Royal Bengal Tiger, is found throughout the country except in the north-western region and also in the neighbouring countries, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh. To check the dwindling population of tigers in India, ‘Project Tiger’ was launched in April 1973. So far, 27 tiger reserves have been established in the country under this project, covering an area of 37,761 sq km.
