July 29 is International Tiger Day. India has made progress in growing and stabilizing its tiger population, but the big cats still face serious threats that jeopardize their future.

Sariska Tiger Reserve

India has seen a significant recovery in its tiger population, rising from fewer than 300 in the 1970s to over 3,000 today. This turnaround is attributed to government initiatives such as Project Tiger, the establishment of protected areas, and the involvement of local communities in conservation and tourism.

Despite these successes, tigers still face threats from habitat loss, fragmentation due to roads, and potential conflicts with humans. Efforts such as wildlife corridors and underpasses are being implemented to address these issues, ensuring not only the survival of tigers but also the protection of broader biodiversity in the region.

India: Tiger numbers rise, but risks remain

It's 6 o'clock in the morning in the Pench Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh. The big cats are out there somewhere, here in this untamed wilderness. Anish Andheria is a nature conservationist. No one knows the tigers as well as he does. He immediately spots their tracks. They tend to be close to streams and ponds. Tigers are water babies. You seldom see them far away from perennial waters. And so they are really an indicator of the health of the forest. If the forest is degraded, you will not have perennial water bodies. The streams will dry out and therefore you won't have a high-density prey and therefore you don't have tigers. A large part of the tiger's habitat has been lost due to human activity. Three quarters of the world's wild tigers still live in India. But their population has drastically decreased, from more than 50,000 in the 19th century to less than 300 in the 1970s. That's when the government stepped in and launched Project Tiger, setting up protected areas. Things look very different today. The indigenous communities can remain in the forests where their ancestors once lived. And they play an important role in tiger conservation efforts. Shishupal Enwati belongs to the Gond tribe and lives in a village in the reserve. He's been working for the Forestry Authority since 2006 and earns around Rs 12,000 a month, the equivalent of around 130 euros. His job is to patrol the entire area and educate locals about tigers and their habitat. In the past, the villagers didn't know any better and put up electric fences to keep out sambar deer and other animals. But then tigers would get trapped in them. There were bad accidents. Sometimes they would even put traps out or poison the water bodies. They even hunted the tigers. But since I've been working here, there have been fewer incidents. I'm in the jungle every day and I've seen tiger numbers go up. The local communities have always been dependent on the forest and what grows in it. Banning them from it would mean cutting them off from their livelihood. In the 1990s, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in Madhya Pradesh set up so-called Eco-Development Committees or EDCs. The goal was to integrate locals into wildlife conservation projects, which would also help supply them with an income. In Pains Tiger Reserve, I have 130 EDCs. And whatever tourism revenue we generate in a year, one third goes to these communities. They also have been employed in most of the activities which we carry out inside. Some of them are permanent workers with us and a huge number of them do this casually. Wildlife tourism in Madhya Pradesh makes a significant contribution to the economy. Shanta Bai has benefited from its growth. With the help of funding from the Forest Department, she set up a small canteen. Many locals, who used to fear the tigers, now feel grateful to them. Every year, we give tigers an offering of chicken and coconuts. We worship them. And we keep a rock as a symbol and worship it. For the Adivasi, the tiger is a god. And now, they even provide us with livelihood. If it weren't for people coming here from all over the world to see them, we wouldn't have an income. The forestry officers are out on patrol every day, tracking the tigers' routes. They use wildlife cameras to record and document their movements. Again and again, they observe that roads are a huge problem, slicing directly through the animal's habitat. We have seen that females that lived on the other side seldom ever moved on this side. Males would cross once in a while, but largely these populations were segregated. So this is how animals, the corridors get fragmented. And once fragmentation happens, there is inbreeding on both sides, plus it can escalate conflict. Because if animal movement stops on one side, and if the prey population on the other side goes down because there is no movement, then tigers will go and start hunting cattle. That will increase conflict. Underpasses like these protect the animals' natural routes. There are 23 of them in Madhya Pradesh alone. And they are urgently needed. A third of India's most important tiger corridors run through the state. But the conservation efforts benefit other species too. It's not that tigers are more important than the birds or the monkeys or a termite. But tigers become a pivot around which all the conservation efforts can be focused. So if you want to protect them, you will have to protect large areas with ample of water. And if you do that, automatically you will be able to protect so many different species. Project Tiger was founded in Madhya Pradesh 50 years ago. Thanks to its hard work, tiger numbers have recovered. There are now over 3,000 of them in India.

The U.N. General Assembly brought high-level officials together to promote a two-state solution to the decades-old Israel-Palestinian conflict. Israel and the United States are boycotting the two-day meeting, co-chaired by the foreign ministers of France and Saudi Arabia

New York

Middle East Conflict

Israel and U.S. boycott UN Summit for two-state solution

With numerous countries facing an Aug. 1 trade agreement deadline, officials in the Trump administration say China could get an extension while negotiations continue.

Washington

Global Tariffs

Trump officials suggest potential tariff truce with China

Police say the man who shot and killed four people in a New York City office building before he took his own life had a "documented mental health history." Mayor Eric Adams says he may have been targeting the National Football League (NFL).

Manhattan gunman had 'documented mental health history'

Jeffrey Epstein-associate Ghislaine Maxwell is offering to testify before Congress in exchange for concessions like full immunity. CBS News Department of Justice reporter Jake Rosen has more.

Ghislaine Maxwell offers to testify before Congress

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Tuesday (July 29) Britain was prepared to recognize a Palestinian state in September at the United Nations General Assembly unless Israel takes a number of steps to improve life for Palestinians.

London

UK to recognize Palestinian state unless Israel takes action

Russia launched overnight air strikes on over 70 Ukrainian cities, killing more than 20 people, according to President Zelenskyy. A pregnant woman died near a hospital in the southeast, while a prison strike killed at least 17.

Kyiv

Ukraine Invasion

Deadly Russian air raids hit Ukraine as Trump warns of sanctions

For the first time, human rights groups inside Israel are accusing their own government of committing genocide in Gaza. Israel insists it is targeting Hamas, not civilians—despite nearly 60,000 Palestinian deaths since the war began almost two years ago.

Jerusalem

Rights groups in Israel accuse country of genocide

As Gaza’s crisis worsens, France is advocating for a two-state solution at a UN conference co-chaired by the French foreign minister. The meeting follows President Macron’s announcement that France will formally recognize a Palestinian state in September.

France leads UN talks on Israel-Palestine two-state solution

Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe was found guilty of bribery and witness tampering in an unprecedented trial that has shaken the country.

Bogotá

Ex-Colombian president Uribe convicted of witness tampering, bribery

Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev posted on social media that President Trump's deadline push for a ceasefire with Ukraine is "a threat and a step towards war."

Moscow

Russian official calls Trump's ceasefire deadline 'a threat'

Ukraine says Russia's overnight air strikes hit a prison in Zaporizhzhia in the southeast, killing at least 17 people. Another 35 were injured. Authorities say the attacks destroyed the jail buildings and damaged several nearby houses.

Zaporizhzhia

Russian air strikes hit a prison in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia, 17 killed

Russia launched yet another attack on Ukraine overnight, with more than 300 drones and seven missiles. While most of the barrage was intercepted, the attacks prompted President Trump to give his Russian counterpart an ultimatum.

Trump gives Putin new deadline to end Ukraine war

A gunman killed at least one police officer and shot a handful of other people Monday in the heart of New York City. CBS News New York has the latest details.

Gunman kills police officer, wounds others in Midtown Manhattan

The suspect in the Michigan Walmart stabbing attack that injured 11 people over the weekend pleaded not guilty Monday to terrorism and assault charges.

Traverse City

Suspect pleads not guilty in Walmart stabbing attack

The U.S. Department of Justice says it took down child abuse websites that had more than 120,000 members and contained millions of files. CBS News' Scott MacFarlane explains how the arrest of one suspect nicknamed "Boss" was a huge priority for the FBI.

U.S. Justice Dept. shuts down four child abuse websites

Five people, including security guards, were killed by a gunman at Bangkok's Or Tor Kor market on Monday. The shooter, who injured two others, later killed himself, according to authorities.

Bangkok

Gunman kills five at busy Bangkok fresh food market

Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to an “unconditional” ceasefire starting at midnight, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on July 28, a significant breakthrough to resolve five days of deadly border clashes.

Kuala Lumpur

Thailand and Cambodia agree to ceasefire

Truckloads of food reached hungry Gazans on July 28 after Israel promised to open secure aid routes, but humanitarian agencies warned vast amounts more were needed to stave off starvation.

Food arrives in Gaza after Israel pauses some fighting

Top U.S. and Chinese economic officials will resume talks in Stockholm to try to tackle longstanding economic disputes at the center of a trade war, aiming to extend a truce by three months and keeping high tariffs at bay.

Stockholm

U.S.-China trade truce extension seen, may ease way for Trump-Xi meet

A train derailment in southern Germany killed at least three people and injured others. The cause is under investigation, with weather possibly a factor.

Riedlingen

German train derails, killing at least three people

Israel has agreed to limit fighting in parts of Gaza and would allow more aid into the region, but both moves are facing criticism for being too little too late.

Israel announces daily pauses in Gaza fighting as aid trickles in

Abnormally high temperatures combined with heat and drought have fuelled destructive wildfires in parts of Europe, forcing thousands to be evacuated.

Athens

Heat fuels destructive wildfires in parts of Europe

Michigan officials say they will file terrorism charges and 11 charges of assault with intent to murder against the man who allegedly carried out a knife attack at a Walmart on Saturday. Lana Zak reports.

Garfield Township

Suspect in Michigan stabbing rampage to face terrorism charges

FAA investigators are in Denver after passengers and crew aboard an American Airlines flight were forced to evacuate when a tire blew during takeoff and the plane's rapid deceleration caused a brake fire, the airline said. Elise Preston reports.

Denver

Passengers evacuate burning plane in Denver

President Trump announced Sunday that the U.S. and European Union have come to a trade agreement after high-stakes meetings in Scotland. Weijia Jiang reports.

Edinburgh

Trump announces trade agreement with the European Union

Israel says it will now establish secure routes through the war zone in Gaza so aid convoys won't be shot at or looted. Elizabeth Palmer reports.

Tel Aviv-Yafo

Israel says it will establish secure routes for Gaza aid

U.S. President Donald Trump played golf Saturday at his course on Scotland's coast while protesters around the country took to the streets to decry his visit and accuse United Kingdom leaders of pandering to the American president.

Protesters in Scotland take to the streets to decry Trump's visit

Following four days of border clashes which have left over 30 people dead, the two sides have agreed to Malaysia acting as a mediator in the conflict.

Thailand, Cambodia to meet in Malaysia for ceasefire talks

Protesters gathered in front of the U.S. consulate in Edinburgh to oppose President Trump's visit to Scotland. Mr. Trump plans to host the U.K.'s Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the President of the European Union, Ursula von der Leyen, for trade talks at his personal properties.

Demonstrators protest Trump's visit to Scotland

The Israeli military said Saturday that it will resume aid airdrops into Gaza and open humanitarian corridors for United Nations convoys amid increased international pressure and accounts of starvation-related deaths in the territory.

Breakdown