Delegates from 23 countries arrived at Bandipur Tiger Reserve on Monday for the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) Summit. The event runs from February 9 to 13. Thirty-nine delegates will attend technical sessions and visit Bandipur and Nagarahole tiger reserves. IBCA Director General S.P. Yadav inaugurated the sessions at Melukamanahalli, Bandipur. Dr. Yadav said, "India has taken a global lead in big cat conservation." He highlighted, "Around 70% of the world’s tiger population is found in India" and the country hosts "35% of the global leopard population." He added, "Of the seven big cat species, five are found in India." Bandipur Tiger Reserve Director Prabhakaran explained the IBCA initiative and detailed the sessions and visits. The summit covers topics like Partnering for Big Cats, government collaboration, wildlife conservation landscape approaches, challenges in elephant conservation, community stewardship, conservation standards for big cats, tiger reserve management effectiveness evaluation, human–elephant conflict management, wildlife legislation, and immersive tourism. Key officials present included Subhash Malkhede (Retired Principal Chief Conservator of Forests - Wildlife), Biswajit Mishra (Principal Chief Conservator of Forests), NTCA DIG Vaibhav Mathur, Manoranjan (Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests), P. Ramesh Kumar (Chief Conservator of Forests - Project Tiger), and Malathi Priya (Chamarajanagar Circle Chief Conservator of Forests). Senior forest officials and experts shared their conservation experiences during the sessions.