Bengal tiger in Ranthambore National Park - © Aditya Singh/ThinkstockIndia has 48 tiger reserves, and current estimates suggest that they are now home to between 1,700 and 2,200 tigers. Although this may seem a pitifully small number, the current trend is somewhat encouraging. Faced with the impending extinction of the iconic predator — chiefly because of poachers intent on supplying the lucrative Chinese traditional medicine trade — Indian authorities recently discovered resources and resolution. According to some optimistic accounts, tiger numbers have increased by 30 percent in the past five years as a result of more determined enforcement.