There was a drastic reduction in the tiger population due to habitat destruction and excessive hunting. Thus, it became an endangered species which was on the verge of extinction. 
To counter this situation, Project Tiger was launched in 1973 by the Government of India for conservation of tiger. The project aims at ensuring a viable population of Bengal tigers in their natural habitats and also to protect them from extinction. The main aim of this project was to limit factors that leads to reduction of tiger habitats.