Tiger siblings in Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand, India

© Sourabh Bharti/Getty Images

International Tiger Day - Roar and explore

We're off to a roaring start today: It's International Tiger Day, which aims to protect these magnificent big cats amid threats such as poaching and habitat loss. At the end of the 19th century, there were thought to be around 100,000 tigers in the wild; these days, there are fewer than 6,000.

Today's image features a pair of tigers in Jim Corbett National Park, which covers approximately 200 square miles in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. India is home to more than 70% of the world's wild tigers, and the park was the first to be included in its initiative to protect them: Project Tiger. There are 256 Bengal tigers here, master predators that play an essential role in the park's ecosystem. Tigers are at the top of the food chain, often hunting large animals like water buffalo and even small elephants. Visitors can book a jungle safari, accompanied by forest rangers.