The lion is restricted only to Gir forests in Gujarat but the tiger roams all over India in as many as 16 states hence for India it is the true king of the jungle having grace ,agility ,strength and enormous power .It has gained world wide importance due it's dwindling population. India holds over half the world's tiger population .A need for its strict protection was felt and thus the Tiger was declared the national animal of India in 1972 .Project Tiger was launched in 1973 to save tigers .Since then the tiger count has risen from 268 to 1468
