When was the last time you saw a live tiger, not counting the ones that roar on your screens? Over the last decade, there are very few people who have spotted a tiger in the wild, while camping or on a safari at a tiger reserve. It might have come as a shock to the world when the tiger was added to the list of endangered species, but if you think about our development and the effect it has had on the forests, it is quite evident that there is a major threat to the survival of these species.
Don't Let The Largest Cat Go Extinct
The gorgeous tiger is a powerful icon of India’s cultural and natural heritage, and yet it is hard to believe these creatures are on the verge of going extinct. They can’t fight for freedom like we did against deforestation, poaching or trafficking, so the Indian tigers are forcibly giving up their territory and dying out.
Currently, there are 13 tiger range countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam. India has the highest tiger population with 2226 of 3900 tiger population. Across these countries, the tigers are restricted to roam about in just 7% of their original range spanning isolated forests and grasslands. It is hard for them to find prey most of the time within this territory, and so they turn victims to human conflicts when they venture out in search of food.
“When a tiger wanders into a village and kills a cow or goat, villagers often retaliate by poisoning the carcass of the animal killed. When the tiger returns the next day to feed on the remains, it dies a most horrific death.”
Together we can save them all
At WWF, we believe that humans can live in harmony with nature. We have been tracking tigers in the Terai and working hard with businesses as well as communities to find ways that will reduce our dependence on the forest and allow tigers to not only survive but also thrive. From a mere population of 1,141, WWF efforts on conservation across the seven different landscapes have managed to do more than double the number. We still have a long way to go to save these species from succumbing to industrialization.
Create a tiger-friendly world
The existence of tigers is threatened by several factors including but not limited to
• Poaching and illegal wildlife trade
• Loss of habitat and prey species
• Human-tiger conflict
Our efforts to conserve the Indian tigers
We are working towards restoring tiger habitats and critical corridors while protecting the tiger and its prey base in the tiger landscapes within India, eventually leading to an increase and stabilization in tiger populations across the country.
Your contributions can help us strengthen our tiger conservation programme in India by:
• Providing field kits to frontline staff to enhance anti-poaching patrols.
• Installing biogas plants to reduce human-tiger conflict.
• Providing immediate monetary relief to families for livestock kills by tigers to control retaliatory killings.
• Installing camera traps to monitor tiger population.
How can you help us?
Conservation of tigers has been our priority since WWF-India was founded. With every tiger, we protect around 25,000 acres of forest, an area which is home to hundreds of other species including plants, animals, birds and insects that share the ecosystem.
You might not be able to aid in on-ground conservation efforts, but your contribution will go a long way in supporting our work.
Together, we can protect life on our planet. Because together, anything is possible.
