Save the Tiger

It’s not just people that social networking is getting closer. The new way of the world is also bringing us closer to some real issues. The Save the Tiger appeal of the WWF has picked up like wild fire! Everyone is hopping on to join the campaign that has been unleashed to protect our national animal from extinction.

If you are not clued into the numbers yet, here’s a lowdown. WWF statistics suggest that at the turn of the 20^th century, India had a population of 40,000 tigers. After that, the numbers started to decline rapidly. There were only 3642 of them left in 2002 and by 2008 Indian soil had to reel under disgrace for the 1411 tigers that remained. I am not even sure if the number of 1411 still valid after a death of 2 tigers recently.

What’s social networking got to do with it? The biggest driver of conservation is awareness. And that comes quickly and easily with social networking. We are particularly prone to following the herd and social networking uses the advantages of that in a surprisingly positive way. What follows is tremendous debate, people knowing the significance of preserving forests, all of us wanting to restore protective corridors, strong policy debate and promoting the issue as particularly chic.

While the tiger is a fascinating and beautiful animal, it also sits on top of the food chain. This makes the tiger important to conservation of all other species and the human race. A loss in the number of tigers will lead to a decline in the diversity of the ecosystem. Forests are water catchment areas and tigers play a pivotal role in protecting these. With each tiger that we protect, we are safeguarding 100 sq. km. of forest area. With land and water being predicted as the most scare resources of the future, this is a great saving not just for India but for the entire planet. Imagine how much saving the tiger population will aid in overall environmental conservation!

In 1973 Indian government launched the Project Tiger conservation program, which led to a steady increase in the population of tigers in India till 1989. As of now India has 19 tiger reserves that cover about 29,716 sq. km. of forest area. But the population of tigers has only declined over the past decade. This implies lethargy on the part of authorities and nonchalance on the part of you and me! Goes without saying then that something needs to be done urgently to protect our tigers. With collective knowledge and group attempts this might be easy to do. Safeguarding our forests, blowing the whistle on poachers and maintaining other species of the environment are some things all of us can do to Save the Tiger. The predator is the protector of the environment. The earlier we start to do our bit towards protection of this gorgeous animal the better.