The tiger, one of the most magnificent animals in the world, is also one of the most endangered. A cat of beauty, strength, and majesty, the tiger is master of all and subject to none -- except humans. Their Latin name is Panthera Tigris. Tigers are on the threshold of extinction. According to WWF, tigers are amongst the ten most endangered species in the world. Over the last century more than 95% of the tiger population has been wiped out and of the eight original subspecies of tigers, three sub-species are already extinct within the last 60 years. There are five different kinds or subspecies of tiger alive in the world today. These tigers are called Siberian, South China, Indochinese, Bengal, and Sumatran. Less than 3500 tigers remain in the wild today with around 50% in India & their numbers are declining fast. There are less than 50 South China tigers left on this planet -- few, and possibly none, survive in the wild. Almost every day, one Indian tiger dies. If this rate of death is allowed to continue, all species of tigers throughout the world will be extinct very soon and our future generation may not able to see this majestic cat in the wild. At present, possibly, as few as 1,500 tigers are left in wild in India.
Nearly a century ago there were over forty thousand tigers in India. True many were hunted by Westerners and Indian Maharajahs decades ago but India still had thousands left at the time of its independence in 1947. Still they continued to be shot down by anybody who owned a rifle. Villagers grazing their herds through forests ensured that the natural prey of tiger starved to death and thus so did tigers. As a result, by early 1970's less than two thousand tigers remained in the jungles of India. Fortunately for the striped sufferer, the then Prime Minister, Mrs. Indira Gandhi, took action and founded ‘Project Tiger’ in early seventies, to save the country's most valued asset from total extinction. For the next two decades there was a lull and tigers flourished under renewed protection in designated reserves. As a result their numbers reportedly increased to four thousand. But that was all to change in the nineties. Tiger poaching picked up. Organized gangs took advantage and poaching continues unchecked owing to the laziness and negligence of underpaid, ill-equipped, outnumbered and unfit forest guards/rangers and officials. Laws protecting the wildlife are predominantly weak and there has been little enforcement action against Poachers and traders. As a result, tigers started disappearing. Some reserves like the famous 'Sariska' Reserve, just a couple of hours drive from the National Capital, New Delhi, protected by about three hundred rangers, was wiped clean of its dozens of tigers. Similarly tigers began vanishing from internationally renowned parks like Ranthambore and Kanha, visited by thousands of tourists yearly from around the world!
Relentless poaching and clearing of habitat for agriculture have been the primary drivers of this decline. Demand for tiger skins and parts for "medicinal" purposes has become an increasingly important threat in recent years. Demands from across China and Southeast Asia for the skins, teeth and claws of tigers are endangering much of the great cats. Poachers are continuing to exterminate the world's remaining Tigers.
Why to save Tiger - Not only is tiger a beautiful animal but it is also the indicator of the forest's health. Tigers occupy the pinnacle of the food chain. Saving the tiger means we save the forest since tiger cannot live in places where trees have vanished and in turn secure food and water for all. If we make sure tigers live, we have to make sure that deer, antelope and all other animals that the tiger eats (its prey base) live. To make sure that these herbivores live, we must make sure that all the trees, grass and other plants that these prey animals need for food are protected. In this way, the whole forest gets saved! Saving the tiger means saving its entire forest kingdom with all the other animals in it. Also forests catch and help store rainwater and protect soils. In this way we protect our rivers and recharge groundwater sources. Areas with less trees lead to floods, killing people and destroying homes. It takes away the precious soil, leaving behind a wasteland. The soil jams up our lakes and dams, reducing their ability to store water. By destroying the tiger's home, we not only harm tigers, but also ourselves.
The tiger thus becomes the symbol for the protection of all species on our earth since it is at the top of the food chain. This is why we sometimes call the tiger, an apex predator, an indicator of our ecosystem's health.
However the news is not all bad as researches showed that if protected and given sufficient access to abundant prey, tiger populations can quickly stabilize. With India's large network of protected areas and continued funding from the Governments and conservation groups like the WWF, one hopes that tigers can avoid extinction in the wild. The Tiger Conservation programmes must reconcile the interests of people and tigers and a sustainable tiger conservation strategy cannot be achieved without the full participation and collective action of individual rural households whose livelihoods depend on rights of access and use of the forests where tigers live.
If we don't wake up now to save our most sublime asset, we may lose it forever in the blink of an eye. The lord of the jungle will continue to die silently from snares, pellets and poison in the forests where it once used to burn bright.
Nearly a century ago there were over forty thousand tigers in India. True many were hunted by Westerners and Indian Maharajahs decades ago but India still had thousands left at the time of its independence in 1947. Still they continued to be shot down by anybody who owned a rifle. Villagers grazing their herds through forests ensured that the natural prey of tiger starved to death and thus so did tigers. As a result, by early 1970's less than two thousand tigers remained in the jungles of India. Fortunately for the striped sufferer, the then Prime Minister, Mrs. Indira Gandhi, took action and founded ‘Project Tiger’ in early seventies, to save the country's most valued asset from total extinction. For the next two decades there was a lull and tigers flourished under renewed protection in designated reserves. As a result their numbers reportedly increased to four thousand. But that was all to change in the nineties. Tiger poaching picked up. Organized gangs took advantage and poaching continues unchecked owing to the laziness and negligence of underpaid, ill-equipped, outnumbered and unfit forest guards/rangers and officials. Laws protecting the wildlife are predominantly weak and there has been little enforcement action against Poachers and traders. As a result, tigers started disappearing. Some reserves like the famous 'Sariska' Reserve, just a couple of hours drive from the National Capital, New Delhi, protected by about three hundred rangers, was wiped clean of its dozens of tigers. Similarly tigers began vanishing from internationally renowned parks like Ranthambore and Kanha, visited by thousands of tourists yearly from around the world!
Relentless poaching and clearing of habitat for agriculture have been the primary drivers of this decline. Demand for tiger skins and parts for "medicinal" purposes has become an increasingly important threat in recent years. Demands from across China and Southeast Asia for the skins, teeth and claws of tigers are endangering much of the great cats. Poachers are continuing to exterminate the world's remaining Tigers.
Why to save Tiger - Not only is tiger a beautiful animal but it is also the indicator of the forest's health. Tigers occupy the pinnacle of the food chain. Saving the tiger means we save the forest since tiger cannot live in places where trees have vanished and in turn secure food and water for all. If we make sure tigers live, we have to make sure that deer, antelope and all other animals that the tiger eats (its prey base) live. To make sure that these herbivores live, we must make sure that all the trees, grass and other plants that these prey animals need for food are protected. In this way, the whole forest gets saved! Saving the tiger means saving its entire forest kingdom with all the other animals in it. Also forests catch and help store rainwater and protect soils. In this way we protect our rivers and recharge groundwater sources. Areas with less trees lead to floods, killing people and destroying homes. It takes away the precious soil, leaving behind a wasteland. The soil jams up our lakes and dams, reducing their ability to store water. By destroying the tiger's home, we not only harm tigers, but also ourselves.
The tiger thus becomes the symbol for the protection of all species on our earth since it is at the top of the food chain. This is why we sometimes call the tiger, an apex predator, an indicator of our ecosystem's health.
However the news is not all bad as researches showed that if protected and given sufficient access to abundant prey, tiger populations can quickly stabilize. With India's large network of protected areas and continued funding from the Governments and conservation groups like the WWF, one hopes that tigers can avoid extinction in the wild. The Tiger Conservation programmes must reconcile the interests of people and tigers and a sustainable tiger conservation strategy cannot be achieved without the full participation and collective action of individual rural households whose livelihoods depend on rights of access and use of the forests where tigers live.
If we don't wake up now to save our most sublime asset, we may lose it forever in the blink of an eye. The lord of the jungle will continue to die silently from snares, pellets and poison in the forests where it once used to burn bright.
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