The Economist criticized for 'racist' India poverty reference in wildlife conservation piece

The Economist drew sharp criticism on social media after an October 4 article on India's wildlife conservation achievements described the country as "still a relatively poor country." The piece praised India's tiger protection efforts as extraordinary and said they held lessons for other environmental initiatives.

Communications expert Smita Deshmukh and others accused the magazine of racism and patronising attitudes. Social media users highlighted India's conservation history, including Project Tiger launched to recover from a 95% loss in tiger population, and questioned why the article referenced India's poverty without acknowledging historical wealth extraction.

Indian Forest Service officer Parveen Kaswan also weighed in on the controversy, marking broad pushback against what commentators viewed as outdated Western stereotyping of India.