But tigers, unlike people, do not have a vote, and tiger conservation is not big enough business to capture the development agenda, say wildlife activists.

"The main problem is authorities are too interested in short-term development benefits such as destroying tiger habitat through deforestation and mining," said S.C. Dey, secretary general of the Global Tiger Forum.

"But this is reckless development."

India is home to half the world's surviving tigers, but conservationists say it is losing the battle to save them.

There were about 40,000 tigers in India a century ago.

A count conducted in 2001 and 2002 suggested that number had fallen to around 3,700, after decades of poaching and habitat destruction.

The latest numbers, gleaned using more modern methodology but only covering part of the country, show the situation could be far worse.

In the central state of Madhya Pradesh, which has one of India's largest tiger populations, conservationists say there may be only a third as many tigers as previously thought.

The central government says it is committed to saving India's national animal. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ordered a police investigation into reports of disappearing tigers in March 2005 and created a taskforce to protect the animal.

In September, the government passed new legislation aimed at tackling the crisis, setting up a National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and a Wildlife Crime Bureau to investigate poaching and curb the illegal trade in wildlife parts.

But that in itself is not enough, say activists, who want New Delhi to place tiger conservation alongside poverty alleviation and development on the government's priority list.

"There is a burning need for political will," said WWF-India in a statement. "The tiger needs sympathy and action."

What makes matters worse, by the government's own admission, is that it appears not to have much power over what happens in individual states.

"There are three urgent actions required from the states," said Rajesh Gopal, member secretary of the NTCA, admitting on Wednesday that more needed to be done.

"Creating and evolving a tiger conservation plan, the constitution of a steering committee under the chairmanship of the chief minister and a foundation must be created where we can release the funds directly to the state units."

Communities living in and around protected reserves see the cats as a nuisance which kill their livestock, and do not care if tigers are wiped out -- a view reflected by local officials, wildlife activists say.

"Since the local people don't care, neither does the government," said A.J.T. Johnsingh, a wildlife biologist.

Pressure from big business leads to habitats being destroyed, funds to protect the animals are misused and vacancies for key environment positions remain unfilled.

In a country of 1.1 billion people, two thirds of whom are estimated to live on less than US$2 a day, saving animals is not a vote winner.

"India's tiger's are the envy of the world," said Belinda Wright, director of the Wildlife Protection Society of India.