India's Supreme Court has begun examining a proposal by social activist Ajay Dubey to ban tiger tourism in reserves inside central Madhya Pradesh state.

Dubey said Wednesday the big cats need protection because their numbers continue to fall. He said tigers of India are paying for the mindless tourism, arguing that tourists riding jeeps to get as close to the big cats as possible disturb their natural habitats.

Other activists resist the notion of a tiger tourism ban, saying there is no scientific evidence to prove that it is harmful for the tigers. Some even say that to close the door on tourism in tiger reserves would be a disaster because “without tourism the big cats could not be protected and saved for the future.”

Experts say the global tiger population has declined from about 100,000 at the end of the 20th century to fewer than 3,500 today.

Last week, the International Police Organization launched a campaign to help save the world's last surviving tigers in 13 Asian countries.

Interpol said the project will link international wildlife officials with customs and law enforcement officers in Russia, China, Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent to combat poaching and smuggling of tiger parts used in medicines.

The initiative, Project Predator, was unveiled at an annual Interpol conference, held this year in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi.