“India is willing to cooperate with any country, which does not have or has lost its tiger population in the course of history. India is ready to help non-tiger countries to create tiger habitat, capacity building and training,” environment minister Prakash Javadekar said at a briefing after the third Asia Ministerial Conference on Tiger Conservation.

The three-day meeting was attended by 13 tiger range countries, including Russia, China, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Bangladesh, Bhutan. It adopted a resolution to focus on tiger recovery in low-density protected areas through restoration, reintroduction and rehabilitation.

India’s attempt with tiger diplomacy is not new. In January last year, Javadekar, while announcing the result of tiger census 2014, had said that the ministry is willing to share tiger cubs with international community for conservation.

The 2014 census had pegged the total tigers in India at 2,226. It has risen to around 2,500 since then. India accounts for over 57% of the global tiger population.

A senior official of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), India’s nodal body for tiger conservation, said the idea is at an early stage but “if it happens it will be a long process backed with science”.

“Last year, there was a meeting with Southeast Asian nations, including countries like Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar, where tigers are either extinct or very few in numbers. Among them, Cambodia had expressed clear interest in getting tigers from India. But it is not this simple,” said the official, who did not wished to be named.

“We need to be sure of important factors like political or governmental backing to the project, quality of available forest area and whether prey base can support tiger’s survival before taking a decision on relocation. We will also ascertain their readiness and we are also looking at them carrying a proper scientific survey to ascertain their actual tiger population,” the official added.

If all conditions are fulfilled India would be happy to share tigers for conservation and it would be a good diplomatic move, said an another official with the environment ministry, who did not wish to be named.

Experts, however, have called it an ill-conceived idea.

“No serious wildlife biologist, who really understands tigers would recommend this adventure—and for multiple reasons. This idea is being promoted by WWF (World Wildlife Fund) and GTF (Global Tiger Forum) based on little real science or study. Indian environment minister should talk to knowledgeable tiger biologists and understand why they oppose this idea, instead of casually announcing such a serious misadventure that will leave India red-faced internationally in the end,” said K. UllasKaranth, world’s leading tiger expert.

According to Karanth, in the past four decades, India has seen dozens of such ill-fated experiments.

“Only one case, of tiger reintroduction in Panna has been successful but, under ideal conditions, leading to the establishment of a new population. This cost millions and incredible effort on the part of Madhya Pradesh officials,” he said, adding that all other such experiments have failed, costing crores of rupees and many human lives as the released tigers had to be shot or were killed by local people.

“In societies that lack India’s cultural tolerance for wildlife, such failures will undermine tiger conservation for years to come,” said Karanth.

India has been working with other tiger range countries for conservation and protection, especially with nations like Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and Russia.

After a century of decline, the global tiger population is finally rising and is estimated to be at 3,860 in 2016 compared to 3,200 in 2010, Mint reported on 11 April

In India, its population has risen in the last one decade from 1,411 in 2006, to 1,706 in 2010 and 2,226 in 2014

In 2016, 35 cases (till March 2016 end) of tiger death and seizure of tiger body parts have been recorded.

The other major focus areas of the New Delhi resolution adopted by the tiger range countries include speeding up the implementation of global tiger recovery programme, which includes habitat improvement and anti-poaching surveillance through modern technology, align development and tiger conservation by ensuring intensive participation of locals and other stakeholders, promotion of tiger habitats to provide ecosystem service, economic growth and addressing climate change and strengthening cooperation to combat wildlife crime.

Javadekar said the conference has provided a clear road map of the way ahead. The conference was attended by large numbers of experts, forest officers, scientists, environmentalists, wildlife activists from across India and several other countries.