India is one of the most biodiverse regions and is home to a large variety of wildlife. It is one of the 17 megadiverse countries and includes four of the world's 36 biodiversity hotspots. India has an estimated 92,873 species of fauna, roughly about 7.5% of the species available worldwide. the country is home to about 7.6% of mammal, 14.7% of amphibian, 6% of bird, and 6.2% of reptilian species.
The Bengal tiger and the Indian elephant are endangered species which are protected by Project Tiger and Project Elephant programmes run by Ministry of Environment and Forests of the Government of India. India is home to 75% of the world's wild tiger population, and 60% of the Asian elephant population. The Asiatic lion is an endangered species found only in the Gir forest in India. Indian leopards are classified as vulnerable species and protected species, and the Indian wolf is an endangered subspecies of grey wolf, both of which are protected by law.
The South Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu are home to nearly 44% of the elephant, 35% of the tiger, and 31% of the leopard population in India, with Karnataka alone accounting for 22% of the elephants, 18% of the tigers and 14% of the leopards in India. Gujarat is the only state with wild Asiatic lion population in the world.