Let’s Save The Tiger with Enhanced Conservation Programmes

Human desire seems to have no end. And what is worse, whatever it is that we “want”, quickly turns into an urgent “need”. Our planet, Earth, is home not only to us, but also to a diverse range of flora and fauna. This assorted range of animals, insects, reptiles and birds not only makes the Earth a wonderful place to live in, it also keeps the ecosystem in a state of harmony. In recent years, however, the ecosystem has witnessed a tremendous and rapid overhaul, resulting in the loss of life and habitat. It is our own recklessness and uncontrollable greed that is causing this. The greatest impact of our voracity on the ecosystem is the rapid disappearance of our wild cats from the wild. One of the most effective steps towards combating this crisis is the tiger conservation programme being undertaken in India. Tiger conservation in India is becoming increasingly important in order to maintain the equilibrium between nature and mankind. Thankfully, in recent times, the need for tiger conservation has acquired a slightly more urgent nature than before. The first step towards saving the tigers is the recognition of the need for their conservation. Through the efforts of scientists across various wildlife conservation organizations in India, the data required for tiger conservation has been prepared and classified, depending on the region and the situation of the tigers in it. There are still however, many regions, especially in the north-east, where proper mapping is impossible – this has greatly impeded efforts in tiger conservation here. Apart from the lack of information available to facilitate tiger conservation, is the fact that India has banned tourism in wildlife sanctuaries and natural resorts. It is very important that tourism be encouraged in these areas as it is a highly effective check on poaching and so aids immensely in the conservation of tigers. Calculating the number of tigers via tiger census is both difficult and tricky, but forest department officers along with various NGOs working towards tiger conservation have made tremendous headway in their efforts to arrive at an approximate number. Gauging tiger strength is one of the biggest steps towards achieving a successful tiger conservation programme. We too can contribute towards saving the tigers in our own way – by reducing our consumption to surrender to less “wants”, by reporting any illegal trade in tiger parts that we are aware of and by spreading awareness on the urgency of the situation.