A CNN REPORT ...

(CNN) -- Tigers could become extinct in the wild in less than a generation, the World Wildlife Fund warned Wednesday as it launched a campaign to save them.The number of tigers in the wild has dwindled to 3,200 -- less than the number held in captivity in the United States alone, the campaigners said."There is a real threat of losing this magnificent animal forever in our lifetime," said Sybille Klenzendorf, director of the WWF-US species conservation program. "This would be like losing the stars in the sky."Three tiger subspecies have gone extinct, and another, the South China tiger, has not been seen in the wild in 25 years," she told reporters."Unless we really crack down on illegal trade and poachers, tigers in the wild have very little chance," said a World Bank official involved in the campaign to save the big cats.Keshav S. Varma, program director of the World Bank's Global Tiger Initiative, said the fate of tigers would show how serious people were about protecting wildlife. There are more tigers in zoos than in the wild, the World Wildlife Fund says."If the tigers disappear, it is an indication of a comprehensive failure," he said. "It's not just about tigers. If you save the tiger, you are going to save other species. It provides an excellent indicator of commitment to biodiversity."If they survive, it shows we are doing our job right. If they disappear, it shows we are just talking," he said.World Wildlife Fund -- Year of the TigerTigers are threatened by many factors, including "poaching, habitat loss, poorly planned development and illegal trafficking," the WWF said in a statement. "And there are few regulations to keep those tigers from ending up on the black market."Demand for tiger parts in areas of Asia is a key factor, campaigners said."The demand for bones and skin, meat, and even claws and teeth ... is driving a major crime campaign to wipe tigers out in the wild," said Crawford Allan, director of TRAFFIC-North America, which monitors the trade in wildlife.He warned that in some parts of the world, tigers were valued more for their body parts than as living creatures.The WWF is working with the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine to fight the use of traditional remedies such as tiger bones."Traditional Chinese medicine does not need tiger bones to save lives," said Lixin Huang, president of the ACTCM."What we are dealing with is an old tradition, an old belief that tiger wine can make their bones stronger. That is not medicine, that is from old tradition," she said, adding that the group was spearheading a campaign to educate people about the threat to tigers.The campaign launch is linked to the Year of the Tiger, which begins on Sunday in the traditional Chinese calendar, said WWF spokesman Lee Poston.The World Wildlife Fund hopes to find ways to double the current population of wild tigers by the next Year of the Tiger in 2022, "so the next new year is a time for celebration and hope, as a new year should be," said Mike Baltzer, the leader of the group's Tiger Initiative.To do that, the group needs the help of governments, and at least $13 million a year just for its highest priority sites, Klenzendorf said.She said there was cause for hope."Tigers are a cat and can breed faster than prey and recover ... if we can protect them," she said.On Wednesday, the WWF published an interactive map that shows 10 tiger trouble spots around the world, highlighting areas where development or legal loopholes have endangered tigers or destroyed their habitat.Those areas are in Bangladesh, China, Europe, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Russia, the United States, Vietnam, and the Greater Mekong region, which stretches across Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.There were about 100,000 tigers roaming wild at the start of the 20th century, the WWF said.

So where is the problem!

There is no dearth of concepts which have come up to save the animal. The

problem is their application. Captive breeding for example is a good way of

increasing the tiger population, the fault is that the DNA of the potential mates

is not being analyzed and sometimes even tigers from the same litter are being

crossed which leads to a weak and unhealthy progeny which will not be able to

sustain itself.
                            Secondly their is a convention called CITES, convention on 
international trade of endangered species, which regulates the movement of animal parts across the borders. India, China and Nepal are all signatories to

this convention. But its enforcement is almost nil. When u catch a poacher for

the first time which u hardly do, the fine is Rs.50,000, perhaps less than what

a single tiger would cost.There are vigils going on in the forest but the forest officials are corrupt and we know the rest of the story.

                                                                                       We are nearing a point  of no return but we still haven’t got there. There is still a bit time left. What

started as a royal sport now stands to threaten the existence of the king. Our

goal is bring to the notice of the world and its rulers that we are not dumb,

deaf and mute and that we will not let our heritage and pride fade away in a

wink. We will fight for the right to life of the animal, for the strict enforcement

of laws like EPA, WPA and others.
                                                   
There is a lot to do. We just need hands and of course a will !

Why save Tigers?

Now that I have promised to create awareness, where to start?

OK .Now the first question that most people are going to ask is why at all save tigers?

They are furious animals, the wild beasts having no human use. Or do they?

                ‘Human-Use’ is an important element in building our conception about anything.

It is just working around the periphery of this element that we are creating a new universe!

It is generally this factor we use to decide the fate of the ‘non-humans!’

But fortunately we have a positive answer for the people asking whether tigers have a

‘human-use’ or not. Yes, they have.

                Because without them we wont be living here in this ‘beautiful’ world for long!

And why is it so? Let us forget about the tigers for now. You all will agree that water is very important to sustain life,

especially the freshwaters. It is used for our drinking, farming and plays a crucial role

in making our planet the luckiest to sustain life. These are the veins of our earth.

                And from where do we get this ‘life blood’?  Not every country has the bonus of having the Himalayan glaciers. If you look carefully, you will find that prime source of these freshwaters are our forests. They yield more water than our glaciers. Notice that if there was no Amazon forest there would be no Amazon River.

And now coming to tigers, they protect our forests. They check the population explosion of other species like monkeys, wild boars. These species overgraze our forests and overrun them. Wherever people have killed leopards and tigers farmers have suffered large scale damage to their crops from monkeys and their likes. Many have stopped farming.Tigers guard us from this nuisance. They are the crucial link to our lives.

                We all need water for our crops .All life on the planet needs water for survival. Forests play a crucial role in the maintaining the hydrological cycle that insures a sustainable water regime. So let us save our forests .Save our tigers!

The AIRCEL campaign

Save our Tigers! Just 1411 left!




These words are ringing in my ears right from the time i saw the video for the first time.It was brilliantly shot.There were other similar videos also shown on TV before that,but non has captured the common man’s attention as it has.A miserably looking tiger-toddler waiting for his mother to return,which eventually doesn’t happen.Very touching.


After that episode I saw this slogan everywhere in social networking sites like Facebook,twitter,orkut,etc.people were raising questions,joining discussions,writing blogs(better than mine!).Then i joined the save our tiger campaign(www.saveourtigers.com) and registered myself a SQUARE!


It was a cool idea.


Then joined its Facebook page just to find how many people are discussing the different aspects.Events are going to be organised across cities.Many have pledged to go for the field work.This campaign has already become massive.But then it strike me,what should come from me.i don't know field work.I don't have that much money to donate(nothing in the real sense!)


OK. I can write blogs and create some awareness.Then and there I created a 'promotion' in my orkut profile--a picture of the liitle square flashing my name like a 'hero'.It is a kind of some letter signed in blood(Blood-oath!)It will remind me of my pledge.


Now where to start.So,i just created this blog specifically for Tigers,our national animal,which have always been my fascination from my childhood.I hope to write my second post soon!