It has been estimated that in the beginning of this century the population of Royal Bengal Tigers in our country was close to 40,000 and this came down to a mere 2,500 by the year 1982. Considering the alarming decline of the number of tigers the Indian board of wildlife initiated a project to save the tigers from extinction. This was named project tiger and several tiger reserves have been established. In 1973 there were 9 tiger reserves in the country occupying a total area of 13,017 Sq. Kms. Presently there are 17 tiger reserves which not only provide sanctuary to tigers but also protect several endangered species of plants and animals.