What you can do to save the Tiger !

At the turn of the 20th century, India had 40,000 tigers in the wild.

In 2002, there were 3,642 and today we are just left with 1,411 tigers, a number so small that they will be gone soon if we don’t wake up to the crisis.

Why do we need to save the tiger, one would ask.
There are bigger issues like poverty, global food shortage, price rise. Why do we have to care about some wild tigers?
To answer this question, one needs to understand that the tiger is not just a charismatic species. It’s not just a wild animal living in some forest. The tiger is a unique animal which plays a pivotal role in the health and diversity of an ecosystem. It is a top predator and is at the apex of the food chain and keeps the population of wild ungulates in check, thereby maintaining the balance between prey herbivores and the vegetation upon which they feed. Therefore the presence of tigers in the forest is an indicator of the well being of the ecosystem. The extinction of this top predator is an indication that its ecosystem is not sufficiently protected, and neither would it exist for long thereafter.

If the tigers go extinct, the entire system would collapse. For e.g. when the Dodos went extinct in Mauritius, one species of Acacia trees stopped regenerating completely. So when a species goes extinct, it leaves behind a scar, which affects the entire ecosystem. Another reason why we need to save the tiger is that our forests are water catchment areas. If the tiger goes today, the forests will go tomorrow as they serve to be the guardians of our forest cover, villagers who live on the boundaries of our national parks and reserves are afraid to enter the forest to collect dry firewood, thatch for roofing purposes or grazing of cattle, the fear of the tiger prevent man from entering the forest and this prevents over grazing of the land.

Tigers need a large prey base and large tracts of forest, these forest act as a catchment area for the rains and the trees slowly release the water right through out the year.  Once the tigers disappear, so will the forest cover and then there will be no catchment area for rain and soon there will be in water in our homes.

Tigers are essential for the protection of the forest and maintain the balance of the ecosystems.   Apart from this other kinds of natural disaster will occur.

One has to closely examine our forest and species to understand the interdependence of life and how every species in the ecosystem helps to sustain life of another species.   This interdependence of life is difficult to explain for so far no one has quite understood how one species  effects the life of  another.

“When we protect one tiger, we protect about a 100 sq. km of area and thus save other species living in its habitat. Therefore, it’s not just about saving the pride of India and an Iconic species  but is about saving many other species that live in the same habitat as the tiger does.  To some extent it is also about saving our own future.  so that this planet can be a living planet for the children yet to come.   For it is said in the eyes of the tiger lies our very own survival.”

Spreading the word

Go out  and tell others that tigers are dying and that they need our help. You can form forums (or join existing ones) on the web for discussions and exchange views on tiger conservation.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/WWF-India/20386543316

Reach out to school going children. WWF can help you in this regard.

Being a responsible tourist
The wilderness is to be experienced and not to be polluted by empty chips packets left there.

Writing to the Honourable Prime Minister
If you are really concerned and feel that more needs to be done for tiger conservation, then write to the Prime Minister, who has shown personal commitment for the cause.

Informing the nearest police station
If you know of any information on poaching or trade of illegal wildlife.
You can also contact TRAFFIC- an organisation fighting the powerful poachers and pass on the information to them.

Reducing pressure on natural resources
By reducing the use of products derived from forests, such as timber and paper.

Endangered means there is still time, but extinction is forever.

Since life began to evolve on this planet, countless creatures have come and gone- rendered extinct by naturally changing physical and biological conditions.

If extinction is sometimes part of the natural order, and if many other species remain, some people ask: “Why save endangered species? What makes these animals and plants so special that money and effort should be spent to conserve them?”

The Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 of India was created, recognizing that endangered species of fish, wildlife, and plants “are of aesthetic, ecological, educational, historical, recreational, and scientific value” to the Nation and its people and need to be constitutionally protected.

Unfortunately, we can no longer attribute the accelerating decline of our wild animals and plants to “natural” processes.  Biologists now know for sure that today’s  danger to wildlife most often results from habitat degradation, environmental pollution, the introduction of exotic (non-native) organisms, and exploitation–all generally as a direct result of human activities.

Although conservation efforts have begun in recent years, mankind is still exterminating entire species at an ever-increasing rate.  At the turn of the 20th century over 40,000 tigers lived in the wild, today we are left with only 1,411 tigers.  The same is the case with the Rhino, Gharials, AsiaticElephant,GangesRiver Dolphin and countless other plant and aquatic species.

So what are the scientific reason to save these endangered species.

The Benefits of Natural Diversity
No creature exists in a vacuum. All living things are part of a complex, delicately balanced network called the biosphere. It is composed of ecosystems, the study of which includes the set of interrelationships between plants and animals and their physical environment. The removal of a single species can set off a chain reaction affecting many others. It has been estimated, for example, that a disappearing plant can take with it up to 30 other species, including insects, higher animals, and even other plants. The full significance of an extinction is not always readily apparent; much remains to be learned, and the full long-term impacts are difficult to predict.

Medicine.
Each living thing contains a unique reservoir of genetic material that has evolved over eons of time, and cannot be retrieved or duplicated if lost. Scientists have partially investigated so far only a small fraction of the world’s species and have begun to unravel a few of their chemical secrets to determine possible benefits to mankind. No matter how small or obscure a species, it could one day be of direct aid to all of us. It was “only” a fungus that gave us penicillin, and
certain plants have yielded substances used in drugs to treat heart  disease, cancer, and a variety of other serious illnesses. At least a  quarter of all prescriptions written annually contain chemicals discovered in plants and animals. If these organisms had been destroyed before their chemistries were known, their secrets
would have died with them.

Horseshoe crabs are among the world’s oldest and most fascinating creatures. They are estimated to be at least 300 million years old. The earliest horseshoe crab species were crawling around the Earth’s shallow coastal seas for at least 100 million years before the dinosaurs even arrived (which was about 200 million years ago). Since that time, the Earth’s land masses have shifted dramatically, thousands of other species have come and gone, but horseshoe crabs have survived and today remain much as they were those millions of years ago.  In medicine the  horseshoe crab plays a vital, if little-known, role in the life of anyone who has received an injectable medication. An extract of the horseshoe crab’s blood is used by the pharmaceutical and medical device industries to ensure that their products, e.g., intravenous drugs, vaccines, and medical devices, are free of bacterial contamination. No other test works as easily or reliably for this purpose

Agriculture.
Many seemingly insignificant forms of life are beginning to show important utilitarian benefits in areas such as agriculture. Some farmers are beginning to use insects and other animals that compete with or pry on certain crop pests, as well as using plants containing natural-toxin compounds that repel harmful Insects. These are called “biological controls,” and in many cases they are a safe, effective, and less expensive alternative to synthetic chemicals.

Industry is also increasingly making use of wild plants.

In the Indian state of Chhattisgarh, a field of jatropha, planted in rust-red soils, heavy with iron, black seeds found inside the shrub’s fruit crushed yield a viscous oil that burns with a clear, clean flame. The oil can run a generator or a pump. Or it can be refined into biodiesel that can fuel tractors, trucks or trains.

Jatropha contains a toxic protein similar to ricin. It was traditionally consigned to hedgerows, protecting more valuable, edible crops from peckish goats. The Shambaa tribesmen of Tanzania forced suspects to eat it. If they vomited, they were innocent. If they died, they weren’t.

Now the world is being asked to digest big claims for this poisonous plant. It will help meet the world’s demand for fuel, without crowding out the world’s supply of food. It will regenerate dry and denuded soils, and create jobs for impoverished farmers. India accounts for about two-thirds of the world’s jatropha plantations, according to New Energy Finance, a research firm, and a hefty share of the enthusiasm. India’s previous president planted it in his garden and Chhattisgarh’s chief minister runs his official car on its oil.

Environmental Monitors.
Many individual species are uniquely important as indicators of environmental quality. The rapid decline in Tigers, Rhino’s, Asiatic Elephant, Ganges River Dolphin, and other flagship species  is a dramatic warning of the dangers of habitat destruction.    Aside from the more concrete reasons for preserving endangered species, moral considerations are often mentioned. Many people believe that every creature, after adapting for thousands or even millions of
years to fit a constantly changing environment, has an intrinsic right to exist. Exterminating other forms of life, they say, would not only be short-sighted, but wrong–especially since the species could never be replaced. Mankind would also be the loser; being accustomed to diversity in nature, the quality of human life would diminished.

Under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972,  has primary responsibility to preserve  by the enactment of law not only jeopardized life, but also the natural resources on which life depends. The condition of plant and animal species, then, is a gauge to measure how much of our world still supports a healthy environment.      More knowledge of complete ecosystems can help us to better understand, and protect, the requirements of all life–including the human species.

HowYouCanHelp

The conservation and recovery of threatened and endangered species is a tremendous and ever-increasing challenge. Through the efforts of  WWF-India and other environmental organizations along with the various government departments.  many jeopardized creatures now have a better chance of survival. But the assistance of everyone–including private citizens and organizations–is essential; one need not be a scientist or a government official to help.

Here is what you can do:
Most States have programs to protect rare animals and plants. Write  to your State departments to find out which species are rare in your area, and what is being done to conserve them.

Visit one of the wildlife sanctuaries near you,  where environmental education specialists describe resident wildlife, its needs, and management. Many of our programme and field offices require volunteers including such activities as bird counting and habitat clean-up.

Don’t buy exotic or wild animals as pets, or plants not of cultivated origin. They are often very difficult to keep, and may be protected species.

Report violations of conservation laws to your local state authorities or to TRAFFIC India.

Learn what you can about wildlife and its problems, you can even visit our Library which has many books on ecology and wildlife of India and the world.

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