Study Finds Elevated Stress in Tigers Due to Tourism Near Core Habitats

A study by scientists at the CSIR–Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad has found that tigers in core protected areas exhibit higher stress hormone levels when exposed to human activity from tourism. The research, conducted across five major tiger reserves—Corbett, Tadoba–Andhari, Kanha, Bandhavgarh, and Periyar—reveals that tigers in strictly protected zones show a more pronounced stress response than those in buffer zones with regular human presence.

Researchers analyzed 610 genetically confirmed tiger scat samples collected between 2020 and 2023, measuring faecal glucocorticoid metabolites for stress and progesterone metabolites to assess reproductive activity in females. Elevated stress markers were consistently found in tigers near tourism roads and high-human-activity areas, with the strongest effects observed in Tadoba and Bandhavgarh. The data suggest that while buffer-zone tigers may have habituated to human activity, core-zone tigers experience acute stress during tourist seasons.

The study challenges the assumption that core zones are low-stress sanctuaries, raising concerns for breeding tigresses, which avoid high-disturbance areas. Scientists warn that chronic stress can reduce reproductive success and affect cub development. While not opposing wildlife tourism, the team recommends regulating vehicle numbers, shortening safari durations, managing road density, and protecting identified breeding zones through non-invasive monitoring.

The findings, published in the journal Animal Conservation, were produced by the CCMB's Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species (LaCONES) with support from the Science and Engineering Research Board and permissions from the National Tiger Conservation Authority and state forest departments. Researchers involved include G. Umapathy, Aamer Shoel, Vinod Kumar, Gudimella Anusha, and Andre Ganswindt.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority and state forest departments are expected to review the recommendations for potential updates to tourism and habitat management policies. The CSIR-CCMB team emphasized the need for science-based wildlife management to balance conservation, tourism, and tiger welfare.