The number of tigers living in the wild in India has jumped to almost 3,000, an increase of almost a third in four years.

The surge in numbers means India is now home to more than 70 per cent of the world’s wild tiger population.

Presenting the figures, prime minister Narendra Modi called it a “historic achievement” and said the country was now “one of the biggest and safest habitats for [tigers] in the world”.

India counts its tigers once every four years, and has been achieving modest increases since the population dwindled to just 1,400 in 2005.

The count in 2014 was 2,226, said environment minister Prakash Javadekar. For 2018, it rose to 2,967, with a margin of error of about 350.

The survey was led by the National Tiger Conservation Authority, and the Wildlife Institute of India, and carried out on an unprecedented scale.

A total of 381,400 sq km of forests were surveyed, with camera traps deployed on a 2 sq km grid and forest department staff walking a combined 522,996 km.

The Global Tiger Forum (GTF), an inter-governmental body coordinating tiger conservation across the range of Asian countries that are home to the big cats, said the “scale and magnitude of the assessment is unparalleled globally”.

Dr Yadvendradev Jhala, the lead scientist for the count, said tiger numbers had gone up significantly in areas which experts previously believed had reached their maximum capacity.

“The population has gone up… We didn’t expect this, but it has, and that’s incredible,” he said.

Inside India’s first elephant hospital Show all 20 1 /20 Inside India’s first elephant hospital Inside India’s first elephant hospital One of the rescued elephants takes a bath in the morning at the Wildlife SOS Elephant Hospital in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. Wildlife SOS is a conservation nonprofit organisation in India working for animal welfare, elephant conservation and care EPA Inside India’s first elephant hospital A specialised ambulance designed to rescue elephants EPA Inside India’s first elephant hospital Gajraj, who was rescued from an Indian royal family, walks inside the treatment area EPA Inside India’s first elephant hospital Elephants are rescued from heartbreaking conditions in circuses, from street begging and from highway accidents EPA Inside India’s first elephant hospital Gajraj arrives for his treatment EPA Inside India’s first elephant hospital An elephant with the chronic foot disease and generalised infection EPA Inside India’s first elephant hospital A worker hoses one of the rescued elephants EPA Inside India’s first elephant hospital A volunteer feeds an elephant in the morning EPA Inside India’s first elephant hospital One of the rescued elephants takes a bath EPA Inside India’s first elephant hospital Tethering chains, iron hobbles and hooks, which were used to control captive elephants, on display EPA Inside India’s first elephant hospital Gajraj takes a mud bath EPA Inside India’s first elephant hospital Gajraj receives treatment at the hospital EPA Inside India’s first elephant hospital One of the elephants enjoys a meal of fruit and vegetables EPA Inside India’s first elephant hospital Senior veterinary officer Dr Yaduraj shows scans on the screen of a high-end X-ray device EPA Inside India’s first elephant hospital Volunteers scrub down an elephant as it takes a bath EPA Inside India’s first elephant hospital Rescued elephants at the hospital EPA Inside India’s first elephant hospital According to a World Animal Protection data, there are more than 3,000 elephants still in captivity in India, used for the tourism and leisure industry, and many of them are in need of proper care and attention EPA Inside India’s first elephant hospital One of the elephants receives medical treatment EPA Inside India’s first elephant hospital A rescued elephant has a snack EPA Inside India’s first elephant hospital A senior veterinary officer treats an elephant with chronic foot disease and generalised infection EPA

WWF India, which assisted with the count, said the survey results should “bring both great hope and reassurance about the tigers’ prospects”.

Ravi Singh, the conservation charity’s CEO, said: “Given the immense pressures on India’s biodiversity, the current estimates are encouraging and speak of immense commitment of the government, local communities and the support of citizens of India.”

The tiger is India’s national animal, and since the 1970s around 5 per cent of the country’s total land mass has been designated as national parks for the purpose of protecting them and other endangered species.

News of the count was released as Mr Modi touted his nature-loving credentials in the trailer for a new Discovery Channel special with Bear Grylls.

The programme, which airs on 12 August, sees Mr Modi and Grylls on a trip to the Jim Corbett National Park in northern India, a reserve with one of the country's largest tiger populations.

Mr Modi said in a statement he had been “intrigued” by the idea of doing a show with the adventurer. "For years, I have lived among nature, in the mountains and the forests," he said. "These years have a lasting impact on my life.”

Grylls famously produced a special edition of his Running Wild series with then-US president Barack Obama in 2016. The presenter later admitted he “did go easy on him”, the highlight of the show being a meal of raw salmon - leftovers of an Alaskan bear.