At the turn of the 20th century, according to estimates, India
probably had many thousand tigers in the wild.
In 2002, based on a census using the pug mark technique, this
number was 3,642.
As per the monitoring exercise by Wildlife Institute of India in
association with National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), Government of
India, using camera traps, in 2008 we were left with only 1,411 tigers. This
number is so small that they will be gone soon if we don’t wake up to the
crisis.
The tiger is not just a charismatic species or just another wild
animal living in some far away forest.
If the tigers go extinct, the entire system would collapse. For
e.g. when the Dodos went extinct in Mauritius, one species of Acacia tree
stopped regenerating completely. So when a species goes extinct, it leaves
behind a scar, which affects the entire ecosystem. Another reason why we need
to save the tiger is that our forests are water catchment areas.
Therefore, it’s not just about saving a beautiful animal. It is
about making sure that we live a little longer as the forests are known to
provide ecological services like clean air, water, pollination, temperature
regulation etc. The tiger is a unique animal which plays a pivotal role in the
health and diversity of an ecosystem. It is a top predator which is at the apex
of the food chain and keeps the population of wild ungulates in check, thereby
maintaining the balance between prey herbivores and the vegetation upon which
they feed. Therefore, the presence of tigers in the forest is an indicator of
the well being of the ecosystem. The extinction of this top predator is an
indication that its ecosystem is not sufficiently protected, and neither would
it exist for long thereafter.
Conservationists say there are just 3,200 tigers left in the
world as the future of the species is threatened by poachers, destruction of
their habitat and climate change.
The world population of tigers has fallen by 95 per cent in the
past century.
The WWF said it intends to intensify pressure to save the
Panthera tigris by classifying it as the most at risk on its roster of 10
critically endangered animals.
It hopes to increase patrols and work with politicians to
eradicate poaching and thwart illegal trade of tiger skins and body parts.
The wildlife charity also aims to work with governments to
encourage more responsible forest management and compensation for farmers whose
livestock are killed by tigers to avoid them being hunted.
Not only is tiger a beautiful animal but it is also the
indicator of the forest's health. 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 foodchain. This is why we
sometimes call the tiger, an apex predator, an indicator of our ecosystem's
health
With just 1410 tigers left in India as per the last count, the
government is worried on how to save the national animal. And thus from
cellular phone companies to potato chip manufacturers, every other big brand is
being roped in to promote the cause.- a cause that is one of the prime concerns
of the nation right now.
But why do we save the tigers? This articles talks about the
reason to behind the worldwide movement to save the big cats. In simple words
this piece reasons out why you and me, the common man should be interested in
saving the tigers. Not only is the tiger a beautiful animal but it is also the
indicator of the forest's health.
Saving the tiger means we save the forest since the 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 will have to make sure that deer, antelope
and all other animals that the tiger eats or 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 short, in
this way the whole forest gets saved! Saving the tiger means indirectly saving
the forests and in turn saving the environment that is reeling under global
warming due to massive deforestation.
Felling trees 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 and an indicator of our ecosystem's health. In
short, saving the tiger means saving the earth. Save tigers, save our earth!
Veerapagupathy,
Chothavilai
Beach,
Thengamputhoor,
Kanyakumari.
+91-04652-
221337
+91-9500946903
Email:aveholidayhome@gmail.com
