To understand the issue that plagues the
royal Bengal tiger
, our national animal, you only need to sample these statistics. about 100-120 years ago, the
Indian tiger
population was 100,000. Today, after all the humongous efforts made towards their conservation, the population stands at 2,226. In that same time frame, the human population of the world has gone from 2.5 billion to 7.5 billion. In the process, some tiger subspecies have been totally erased off the planet, while others are under the serious threat of extinction. Thankfully, there is some good news too. Of all the tiger species that are under critical threat, the conservation efforts have turned the numbers around for the Indian Bengal tigers. In the 2011 census by the National Tiger Conservation Authority, the population was estimated to be at 1,706 (i.e. 1,571-1,875). Today that number stands at 2,226 (1,945 – 2,491). Jaydeep Das, a livelihood expert who is working in the state of Maharashtra, where the population right now stands at 190, explains, “These numbers are gathered based on all tigers that are captured on camera traps. And only adults above three years of age are counted. Since it is an estimate, the census is often released with a minimum and maximum range.” There is still a long, long way to go before we hit the optimum mark though, say conservationists, who point out that most conservation efforts continue to struggle against poaching and the human-animal conflict in India. “In India, there is still a large threat of poaching. There are huge amounts of money riding on these tigers. In fact, some of these tigers are pre-sold even before they are born! Nomadic communities in India are often involved in poaching and sending tiger parts across borders. Until China takes strict measures to implement the ban on tiger trade, for which we need international pressure, the struggle will continue,” adds Das. Abishek Harihar, a Tiger Scientist for
Panthera
, the global wild cat conservation organisation, also concurs, “Poaching is one of the most critical threats facing the Indian tiger. Tigers are large carnivores that naturally occur at low densities and require vast swathes of forests to live in. Unfortunately, most protected areas with tigers in India are small and surrounded by a sea of human population. This makes intervening forests (usually non-protected, multiple-use forests) critical connecting links. Increasingly a number of infrastructure projects (roads, dams, river-linking projects) are either diminishing connectivity between habitats or exerting pressure on critical tiger habitats. To name a few, the NH-7 between Kanha and Pench and the Ken-Betwa river linking project in Panna.” He also adds that human-tiger conflict (mainly ’cos of livestock losses) is also an area of concern in India. “This conflict could seriously undermine conservation gains unless adequately and appropriately addressed. In most tiger landscapes, only a few of the affected, impoverished households are able to secure compensation for losses incurred; this must be remedied. By not supporting and working with these communities, we could alienate our most important partners in conservation.” While the experts are putting in their sweat and blood to protect these big cats from going extinct, the solution actually lies in your hands. “Increased public interest in tigers is a critical factor driving conservation of the species. Meanwhile, these large populations and several high-profile sites receive a good deal of focus from central and local governments, yet, several small populations require greater attention to ensure that they don’t disappear.”
"Why Worry?" “Oh, extinction is only a natural process...”, “You can’t save the planet, the planet can take care of itself...” these are among the things that you will hear in any dialogue on ecological conservation. For those looking for answers, an influential group of international scientists this week declared that the world’s largest wildlife species are facing an extinction crisis, and a swift and global conservation response is not only required to prevent these iconic animals from being lost forever, but also to save the ecological balance of the planet. Here are some excerpts from a report titled Saving the World’s Terrestrial Megafauna, authored by 43 wildlife experts from six continents: “The more I look at the trends facing the world’s largest terrestrial mammals, the more concerned I am we could lose these animals just as science is discovering how important they are to ecosystems and to the services they provide to people,”
— William Ripple, a professor of ecology in the College of Forestry at Oregon State University
What you can do to help these big cats To mark the International Tiger Day with dialogue on the big cats, the WWF launched an online campaign #ThumbsupforTiger. Animal activist and artist Asher Jay, who designed the TX2 (Tigers times two) campaign to buoy the WWF initiative to double wild tiger population by 2022, says, “All you have to do is colour your thumbs orange, add your unique tiger stripes and upload your photo and tagging @WWF Tigers. The idea is to galvanise public to participate and create support for those on the front lines of the conservation efforts. The campaign aims to create a social awareness structure that makes tiger relevant to the international vocabulary.” For those who don’t believe that sending out prayers through social media works, Asher also has some simple ways you could help the tigers. > You can focus on how you impact tigers by your daily buying-selling. The products you buy, the fuel you put in your car, the donations you make each year — these choices can all make a difference. > You can fund national parks and empower ranger programs to enable local success. > Individuals and organisations can also think on the lines of enabling microeconomies in communities that need sustained regional income to coexist with tigers. > You can take up the initiative to educate local farmers on land management and the impact of encroachment. > Don’t buy products with palm oil — it costs habitats for tigers in other countries. > Ensure your financial portfolio does not back companies that cause adverse impact. > Illegal timber is costing tiger ranges as well, harvested to make cheap Chinese furniture, that is then pumped into global supply chain. So know where you buy your table from. Source smartly and think of what you are really paying for. Look for furniture companies certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
Tiger subspecies around the world Endangered: Siberian tigers, which are most commonly poached for their fur and for their body parts used in traditional Chinese medicine, have been termed endangered with an estimated population of 350-400. The Indochinese tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti) is a tiger subspecies dispersed throughout the Indochina region of Southeastern Asia with an estimated population of 314-357. The Indochinese tiger is also the least represented in captivity or breeding programmes, like in the case of zoos. Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), although endangered, have benefitted over the years thanks to conservation efforts. It is currently the most numerous of the subspecies with an estimated 440 in Bangladesh and 163–253 tigers in Nepal, besides the 2,226 documented in India.
Critically Endangered: The South China tiger (Panthera tigris amoyensis) is currently the most threatened subspecies. Native to southern China provinces, these tigers were classified as critically endangered in 1996 as they are completely extinct in the wild. Until 2004, the Malyan tigers were classified as Indochinese tigers but a DNA test set them aside. With a Latin name — Panthera tigris jacksoni (in honour of conservationist Peter Jack-son), these are found only on the Malay Peninsula and in the southern tip of Thailand. IUCN in 2015 dubbed these tigers critically endangered with an estimated population of 250 to 340 adults and less than 250 breeding adults.
Extinct: Javan tiger (Panthera tigris sondaica) inhabited the Indonesian island of Java until mid-1970s. Bali tiger (Panthera tigris balica), harimau Bali in Indonesian, or samong in Balinese is also an extinct subspecies, that was native to Bali. Caspian Tiger (Panthera tigris virgata) was last recorded in the wild before the end of 20th Century.
Trivia: 2,226 (between 1,945 and 2,491) Is the estimated number of tigers as per the recent national survey of 2014 of tigers in India. This has been one of the most comprehensive surveys.
India’s Ancient and ongoing love affair with the tigers: Several indian administrations since the 25th century BCE have adopted the tiger as a symbol. it was first displayed on the Pashupati seal of the Indus Valley Civilisation. The tiger later became the symbol of the Chola Empire between 300 CE and 1279 CE. Today, the tiger still remains the official animal of India.
DID YOU KNOW? > Tiger stripes are like fingerprints. No two are the same. The stripes are not only in the tiger’s fur, but are a pigmentation of the skin.
> Tigers have a white spot on the back of both ears, which looks like eyes. This tricks predators into thinking the tiger is looking at them. This is why they are called eye spots.