The Project Tiger was established with an initiative of the Government of India under the leadership of the then Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi in the year 1972. The idea was to save the alarmingly dwindling population of Panthera tigris or the tiger by establishing special reserves that offer a large enough natural habitat for the tiger and other wild life animals. Most of the national parks that come under the Project Tiger have a core area that is usually left undisturbed and a buffer zone that offers ample opportunities for wildlife safaris.

The first national park that was declared as a part of the Project Tiger was the Corbett National Park in Uttaranchal, India during the year 1973.

The main objectives of the ambitious project tiger were to create and maintain natural habitats that can effectively help to rehabilitate and conserve wildlife in India and to maintain a viable tiger population for scientific, ecological aesthetic and cultural values.

Initially there were 8 national parks that were declared as an integral part of the Project Tiger though today there are quite a few national parks in India that have been given the status of a Project tiger reserve.

During the first stage of implementation of the Project Tiger the conservationists concentrated on issues such as prevention of forest ecology disturbance, poaching, habitat destruction and other related problems. Entire villages were relocated so that the interests of the humans and animals would not clash. The core areas at the India national parks were developed as breeding zones and humans were kept away from this part of the forest.

The Project tiger has had a tumultuous history though a lot of good work has been done to preserve tigers. Still the Project Tiger is a continuous and on going struggle to save wild animals from poachers and vagaries of human beings.

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