The tiger is the most charismatic cat on the planet. But besides this fact, it is one of the most threatened species on the Earth. India is home to more than 50 percent of the world's wild tiger population and the numbers have dramatically risen from less than 2000 in the 1970s, a time when tigers were critically endangered.
With roughly more than 200 tigers in the Indian jungles, we could say that a valiant effort is being made to prevent it from extinction. Tigers face increasing threat from poaching due to high value in global markets. Most people who live in and around tiger habitats come from the lower economic strata of society and the price and demand for tiger parts is a contributor to the increasing threat faced by tigers.
But while tiger numbers seem to increase in specific parts of the world, globally, the tiger population seems to have fallen by 95 percent since the turn of the century. Estimates suggest that the numbers went down from perhaps 100,000 to the present estimate of 5,000 to 7,400 as per the World Conservation Union / IUCN.
Very few people understand the true importance of protecting the tiger. Most people feel it is only a matter of saving an animal, thinking that it just adds to the aesthetic beauty of nature. This reason is a very minor reason for why we need to save this incredible animal. In the jungles that it roams, the tiger is at the top of the food chain.
Let us understand why the extinction of the tiger could lead to chaos. If the tiger were to cease to exist, the populations of prey species such as the spotted deer would burst at the seams. Since their source of survival is vegetation, they would devour it without any restraint. If the vegetation in the jungles get devastated, how would the insects survive. Crops and farmlands would be wiped out. If the plants in the jungles would be dead, what would replenish the soil? And If the soil wasn't fertile, new plants could not sprout. If this cycle goes on and on, it will be the end of the jungle.
The end of jungles would spell the end of the biggest suppliers of the oxygen-filled air, which we often take so much for granted. While this is just a simple layman’s description of what the result of tiger extinction could mean to our own survival, the truly scientific description is even more alarming and drastic.
The Tiger is a symbol of wilderness and well-being of the ecosystem. By conserving and saving tigers the entire ecosystem is conserved as the tiger is the apex predator that keeps the food chain in balance by preventing the forests from being grazed to decimation by herbivores which would multiply unsustainably in its absence. At the same time, the tiger cannot survive without a minimum level of herbivores to prey on and un-fragmented forest cover. Saving tiger, therefore, is analogous to saving the ecosystem, which is crucial for man's own survival.
Interesting Facts About The Tiger
The tiger is classified as a member of the order Carnivore (flesh-eating animal) and is a member of the Felidae. The five subspecies of tigers are scattered around 14 Asian countries and they are: Amur (Siberian), Bengal, Indo Chinese, Sumatran, South China. The extinct ones are: Bali tigers (which no one has seen since 1937 and no picture of it exists), Caspian tigers (extinct since 1970) and Java tigers (extinct since 1980). But there is also a white tiger, which is a color variation of Bengal tigers. Endangered Species are species that are in danger of extinction. Over 5,200 animal species around the globe are threatened with extinction and the tiger is one of them. The reason for tiger extinction or endangerment until the 1930s was hunting for sport. But between 1940 and the late 1990s,tigers are being killed every day for many reasons but the main reasons are the loss of habitat due to human population expansion and activities such as logging and commercial exploitation due to trade in tiger body parts for medicinal use.
Aircel’s tag line to bring alive the cause, ‘Just 1411 left, Save Our Tigers’ has hit a chord in the hearts and minds of millions of Indians worldwide and evolved into a brand unto itself. People began to rally for the cause and started lending their voices towards it.
Aircel's cause "Save Our Tigers" has led to partner with several well-known organizations and individuals to create an impact on ground where it really matters. Listing a few of them:
• Projects with WWF- India
• Projects with Wildlife Trust of India
• Partnership with NDTV and Wildlife Conservation Trust
• Partnership with Sanctuary Asia
• Strokes for Stripes
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| Image Sourced: www.thealternative.in |
With roughly more than 200 tigers in the Indian jungles, we could say that a valiant effort is being made to prevent it from extinction. Tigers face increasing threat from poaching due to high value in global markets. Most people who live in and around tiger habitats come from the lower economic strata of society and the price and demand for tiger parts is a contributor to the increasing threat faced by tigers.
 |
| Unbelievable but true: Me feeding milk to a cub |
But while tiger numbers seem to increase in specific parts of the world, globally, the tiger population seems to have fallen by 95 percent since the turn of the century. Estimates suggest that the numbers went down from perhaps 100,000 to the present estimate of 5,000 to 7,400 as per the World Conservation Union / IUCN.
Very few people understand the true importance of protecting the tiger. Most people feel it is only a matter of saving an animal, thinking that it just adds to the aesthetic beauty of nature. This reason is a very minor reason for why we need to save this incredible animal. In the jungles that it roams, the tiger is at the top of the food chain.
Let us understand why the extinction of the tiger could lead to chaos. If the tiger were to cease to exist, the populations of prey species such as the spotted deer would burst at the seams. Since their source of survival is vegetation, they would devour it without any restraint. If the vegetation in the jungles get devastated, how would the insects survive. Crops and farmlands would be wiped out. If the plants in the jungles would be dead, what would replenish the soil? And If the soil wasn't fertile, new plants could not sprout. If this cycle goes on and on, it will be the end of the jungle.
The end of jungles would spell the end of the biggest suppliers of the oxygen-filled air, which we often take so much for granted. While this is just a simple layman’s description of what the result of tiger extinction could mean to our own survival, the truly scientific description is even more alarming and drastic.
The Tiger is a symbol of wilderness and well-being of the ecosystem. By conserving and saving tigers the entire ecosystem is conserved as the tiger is the apex predator that keeps the food chain in balance by preventing the forests from being grazed to decimation by herbivores which would multiply unsustainably in its absence. At the same time, the tiger cannot survive without a minimum level of herbivores to prey on and un-fragmented forest cover. Saving tiger, therefore, is analogous to saving the ecosystem, which is crucial for man's own survival.
Interesting Facts About The Tiger
The tiger is classified as a member of the order Carnivore (flesh-eating animal) and is a member of the Felidae. The five subspecies of tigers are scattered around 14 Asian countries and they are: Amur (Siberian), Bengal, Indo Chinese, Sumatran, South China. The extinct ones are: Bali tigers (which no one has seen since 1937 and no picture of it exists), Caspian tigers (extinct since 1970) and Java tigers (extinct since 1980). But there is also a white tiger, which is a color variation of Bengal tigers. Endangered Species are species that are in danger of extinction. Over 5,200 animal species around the globe are threatened with extinction and the tiger is one of them. The reason for tiger extinction or endangerment until the 1930s was hunting for sport. But between 1940 and the late 1990s,tigers are being killed every day for many reasons but the main reasons are the loss of habitat due to human population expansion and activities such as logging and commercial exploitation due to trade in tiger body parts for medicinal use.
Aircel’s tag line to bring alive the cause, ‘Just 1411 left, Save Our Tigers’ has hit a chord in the hearts and minds of millions of Indians worldwide and evolved into a brand unto itself. People began to rally for the cause and started lending their voices towards it.
Aircel's cause "Save Our Tigers" has led to partner with several well-known organizations and individuals to create an impact on ground where it really matters. Listing a few of them:
• Projects with WWF- India
• Projects with Wildlife Trust of India
• Partnership with NDTV and Wildlife Conservation Trust
• Partnership with Sanctuary Asia
• Strokes for Stripes
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