Tiger -10 Interesting Facts About National Animal of India

Royal Bengal Tiger is the National Animal of India. The scientific name of this animal is Panthera Tigris. It was conferred the status in April 1973. This article throws light on the reasons behind declaring the Royal Bengal Tiger as the National Animal of India and some interesting facts about the Tiger.

Aspirants would find this article very helpful while preparing for the IAS Exam.

Why was Tiger Declared as National Animal of India?

1. Tiger was picked as the National animal of India because of its elegance, strength, agility, and colossal power. On 1st April 1973, Government launched Project Tiger to save tigers. It was launched from the Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand.
2. A national animal is one of the emblematic representatives of a country’s natural wealth. The national animal is selected based on several criteria. The first one is how well it denotes certain features that a nation wants to be recognized with.
3. The national animal should have a rich history as part of the nation’s heritage and culture. The national animal should be well distributed within the country. Mostly a national animal should be indigenous to that specific nation and elite to the country’s identity. The national animal is also taken based on the conservation status of the animal to allow better efforts towards its sustained survival due to the official status.

The second chapter in the India Yearbook deals with the national identity elements. India Yearbook is a summary of the Ministry-wise & department wise developments of each year, which is an inclusive summary of India’s advancement in different fields. It contains an enormous quantity of Statistics, facts, analysis. India Yearbook is an excellent source to obtain relevant information while preparing for UPSC Civil Service Exam.

10 Interesting Facts About National Animal of India – Tiger

1. Tigers are the largest specimen in the cat family.
2. There are eight subspecies of tiger- Royal Bengal, Indo-Chinese, Sumatran, Amur or Siberian, South China, Caspian, Java, and Bali. Caspian, Java, and Bali tigers have been hunted to extinction.
3. Tiger chooses the lowlands and is frequently seen in grasslands, swamps, and mangroves. The Bengal mangrove ecosystem is a rich habitat for royal Tigers and they have adapted by being fervent swimmers.
4. Till 1972, the Lion was the national animal of India.
5. The Royal Bengal Tiger, ‘majestic creature’ was conferred as the national animal on November 18, 1972
6. The Tiger is the national animal of Bangladesh, South Korea, Vietnam, and Malaysia.
7. Nagpur is known as the ‘Tiger Capital of India’
8. According to the IUCN Red list, the tiger is listed as an endangered animal.
9. There is an abrupt fall in the population of tigers due to poaching, hunting, illegal smuggling of Tiger Skin, and other body parts.
10. To conserve the Tiger, the Indian Government launched Project Tiger in 1973.

National Animal of India – UPSC Notes:-Download PDF Here

Other National Identities of India

Apart from the national animal of the country, there are various other National Identity components that are of importance. The below table gives the list of national symbols of India:

The above details would help candidates prepare for UPSC 2022.

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