Save our tigers..

Save Tiger 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. Of the eight original subsp…

Thanks to Naga for this great initiative.

I would hereby like to share with all PGites some information on the current state of Tigers in our country. I do this with an expectation. I really believe PG is a great source of talent and has the capacity to make a result oriented impact.

I welcome all of you to come out with solutions which can make a difference.

Read on (courtesy :WPSI - Wildlife Protection Society of India - Current Status of Tiger in India)

Current Status of Tiger in India

India holds over half the world's tiger population. According to the latest tiger census report released on February 12, 2008 by the National Tiger Conservation Authority, the current tiger population stands at 1,411 (i.e. ranging between a minimum of 1,165 to a maximum of 1,657). The results include figures from 16 tiger states and are exclusive of Jharkhand and Sunderbans. The state of West Bengal was covered only partially (i.e. North Bengal) during the census.

The Tiger Census 2008 report has classified the tiger occupied forests in India into 6 landscape complexes; namely (a) Shivalik-Gangetic Plains, (b) Central Indian Landscape Complex (c) Eastern Ghats, (d) Western Ghats, (e) North-Eastern Hills and Bhramaputra Plains, and (f) Sunderbans.

Within the Shivalik-Gangetic plain landscape, it is reported that the tiger occupies 5080 km2 of forested habitats with an estimated population size of 297 (259 to 335) in six separate populations. In the Central Indian Landscape, tiger presence is currently reported from 47,122 km2 (11.6 % of forests) with an estimated tiger population of 451 (347 to 564) distributed in 17 populations.The Eastern Ghat landscape complex currently has about 15,000 km2 of potential tiger habitat. Tigers occupy 7,772 km2 of forested habitats with an estimated population size of 53 (49 to 57). Currently tigers occupy 21,435 km2 of forests within the Western Ghat Landscape comprising 21% of the forested area. The current potential tiger habitat in the landscape complex is about 51,000 km2. The population estimate for this landscape was 366 (297-434) tigers. North-Eastern hills and Bhramaputra plains currently reported tiger occupancy in 4230 km2 of forests. Many of the tiger populations, particularly those outside protected reserves, are fragmented, suffer from intense poaching pressure, a dwindling prey base and over-used habitat.

The strategy for tiger conservation in India revolves around the National Tiger Conservation Authority and the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Between the mid 1970's and mid-1980's, many protected areas (66 national parks and 421 wildlife sanctuaries) were set aside, including large tracts of tiger habitat. They were later increased to 96 national parks, 510 wildlife sanctuaries and 3 conservation reserves and 2 community reserves. This resulted in an increase in tiger densities at many locations. Tragically, these conservation successes were short lived. Rampant poaching for the trade in tiger parts - all destined for markets outside India's borders - now threatens the tiger's very existence.

Prevailing conservation efforts are not geared towards, nor have they adequately addressed, the new threats with new protection strategies ie. better law enforcement, training and support. Excellent new tiger protection measures (such as the recommendations of the (Subramanian Committee for the Prevention of Illegal Trade in Wildlife, 1994 and Tiger Task Force, 2005) have been proposed but not implemented and little effective action has been taken in the field. Few of the tiger reserves have an established intelligence network and nearly 80% of our tiger reserves do not have an armed strike force or basic infrastructure and equipment to combat poaching. The forest guards are often out-gunned and out-manned by poachers. In December 1998, three forest staff were murdered in Manas Tiger Reserve and several cases of murder and serious assault on forest guards have been reported since.

The last meeting of the National Board of Wildlife was held on 01 November 2007. Large development projects, such as mining and hydroelectric dams, are also taking their toll on the tiger's habitat. In the past ten years, thousands of square kilometers of forest land have been diverted and destroyed to facilitate such projects. Though mostly outside the protected network, the loss of this vital habitat will have serious repercussions on tiger conservation in India.

Since 1994, WPSI has made a concerted effort to gather accurate information on tiger poaching occurring throughout India. A total of 832 tigers are known to have been killed from 1994 to 2007. WPSIs extensive database of tigers poached has detailed information on poaching figures collected by us. These figures, however, are reported cases and represent only a fraction of the actual poaching activity in India.

Recent undercover investigations by the Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) and the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) revealed that the trade in tiger and leopard body parts in China continues to thrive, operating without any hindrance from the Chinese government whilst driving Indias wild tigers closer towards extinction.

Despite all these problems, India still holds the best chance for saving the tiger in the wild. Tigers occur in 17 States within the Republic of India, with 5 States reportedly having populations in excess of 100 tigers. There are still areas with relatively large tiger populations and extensive tracts of protected habitat. Adequate funding and international pressure will help. But probably the most effective way to implement tiger conservation action in India today is to enhance NGO participation. There are a number of dedicated organisations that are effectively involved in hands-on tiger conservation. They keep the issue energized on a national level and tenaciously try to increase political will to secure the tiger's future. The Indian conservation and scientific community is now a proven force. It needs to be strengthened.




Our National Animal Endangered
Why Should We Save Our Tiger ??
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.
Save Tiger - Save Food Chain - Save Mankind

Come Forward, Help Protecting Our National Animal

PS : Refer Attachment For "India - Tiger Estimation Table"
How to help curb India's wildlife crisis You Can Help
NGOs are already making a significant impact. In some areas the illegal wildlife trade has virtually been brought to a standstill.
The proven effectiveness of the Society, combined with strong support from the Government, business communities and environmental organizations, has brought different organisations to the forefront of the conservation movement in India.
There are numerous ways you can help save our wildlife:

  1. Stay Informed The more aware you are of the status of India's wildlife and wild places, the more effective you will be in helping to save it. You can stay informed through the internet, current journals and the media.
    Once you are armed with the knowledge of what is happening to India's wildlife, take action and spread the word to your friends, family and community leaders.

  2. Take Action & Create Awareness Keeping yourself informed about the peril of India's wildlife is a great place to start to make a difference - but to make a real impact - create awareness in your community and demand changes be made in India and internationally.
    There are numerous things you can do to increase the level of awareness. For example you might:

    1. Organise an event that educates the public about wildlife
    2. Research products you consume to ensure they were made sustainably
    3. Write letters to the editor of a newspaper
    4. Write letters/petitions to your community leaders
    5. Write letters/petitions to national and international leaders

have a weird concept of a short movie which can be made. Have got the preliminary story down here. If any aspiring short-film maker is inspired , I'll be happy to help!

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rollnumber53

In what can be termed as the dire need of the hour to protect our national animal, found out some statistics (from the Internet) regarding the dwindling population of tigers in India within a span of 6 years.

State 2001-02 2007-08
Andhra Pradesh 192 95
Chattisgarh227 26
Madhya Pradesh 710 300
Tamilnadu 60 76
Maharashtra 238 103
Arunachala Pradesh61 14
Orissa 173 45
Rajasthan 58 32
Kerala 71 46
Karnataka 401 290
Mizoram 28 6
N.West Bengal 349 10

And it is pretty much shocking to note that barring TamilNadu where there is a marginal increase in the numbers, all states have reported a shocking decline in the tiger population.

And according to Project Tiger- an initiative launched in 1972-73, it has chalked out the following as part of its future plans:

a) Tiger Habitat & Population Evaluation System for the Indian Sub Continent
b) GIS based digitized database and MIS development/networking in Tiger Reserves:
c) Use of Information and Communication technology in Wildlife Protection and Crime Risk Management in Tiger reserves.

Its never too late.. as the previous posts have highlighted various measures to protect the nation's pride- the least we can do at this stage is to spread the awareness about the atrocities meted out to our feline friend and how we can overcome them.

Lets join hands!

p.s. there seems to be a prob with t formatting with the stats.. Table is missing! sorry puys!

Great Initiative Naga....i request all puys to join the facebook community of 1411 tigers as well...show our support in every possible way ...the more the numbers better would be the visibility and awareness on this issue

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#!/group.php?gid=278532053061&ref;=ts

I am also trying to roar the issue...
we cant let our national animal disappear.....Its high time. just 1411

:Manjulika Tigers: Save Them

Efforts to control tiger trade have failed: CITES


Governments across the world have failed miserably and are continuing to fail to halt the growth of illegal poaching and trade in tiger body parts, says Willem Wijnstekers, Secretary-General, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
Speaking at the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES, in Doha, Qatar, Mr. Wijnstekers said: Although the tiger has been prized throughout history, and is a symbol of incredible importance in many cultures and religions, it is now literally on the verge of extinction.
At the Doha meet, representatives of nearly 150 nations will vote on over 40 proposals on restricting trade in endangered species. The miserable failure comment reflected the poor record of the Global Tiger Initiative, a partnership of governments, international agencies and non-governmental organisations working collaboratively to save the tiger.
Pointing out that 2010 was the Chinese Year of the Tiger and the International Year of Biodiversity, Mr. Wijnstekers said the trend must be reversed this year. If we don't, it will be to our everlasting shame, he warned. According to CITES, tigers could be found throughout Asia in the early 1900s and numbered over 100,000. Current estimates suggest that fewer than 3,200 remain in the wild.
The World Bank, which leads the Global Tiger Initiative, has reportedly found that the trade is spurred by privately-run tiger farms in Asian countries such as China. Further, scientific studies in India have demonstrated that most wild tiger populations will not be able to withstand even small increases in poaching over time. While China banned trade in tiger bones and products in 1993, illicit sales continue. In a 2007 report titled Taming the Tiger Trade, the WWF said any easing of the Chinese ban would be a death sentence for the endangered cats. The report warned that Chinese business owners who stand to profit from tiger trade were pressuring the Chinese government to lift the ban.
CITES criticised ineffective policies to protect the tiger. It is almost four decades since the world realised that tiger numbers were falling alarmingly, it said, alluding to the tens of millions of dollars that governments and the conservation community spent.



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