India entered independence with wildlife governance shaped by timber extraction, predator bounties and game management rather than ecosystem protection. Post-1947 legislation, protected areas and species-recovery programmes reversed much of this legacy and contributed to substantial recoveries of tigers, Asiatic lions, rhinoceroses and other large vertebrates. However, national assessments remain constrained by incompatible estimation methods, incomplete independent verification, uneven taxonomic monitoring and the persistent exclusion of grasslands, scrublands and freshwater systems from conservation priorities. Zoos have acquired statutory conservation functions, but release pathways, welfare auditing and transparent reporting remain inconsistent. Future progress depends on landscape-scale planning beyond protected-area boundaries, rights-respecting approaches to relocation, effective human-wildlife conflict mitigation, accountable conservation finance, independently verifiable evidence and climate-adaptive connectivity. India's next phase of conservation should therefore be judged not only by increases in flagship species, but also by ecological representation, social legitimacy and the transparency of evidence.