World celebrates International Tiger Day

0

“‘A man leaves behind only his name at death; A tiger leaves only its skin.'”

Of course, the lion reigns supreme in the jungle, but Tigers are among the most majestic creatures in the animal kingdom. From the white tiger to the Royal Bengal tiger to the Siberian tiger, these wildcats are known for their powerful ability to adapt to any given natural habitat, be it grasslands, dense rainforest, or cold mountains. Unfortunately, the global tiger population is rapidly declining due to factors such as climate change, poachers, illegal wildlife trade, and habitat loss.
Leopards and rare black tigers have been spotted in the Shimilipal sanctuary of Odisha. However, there is a significant difference decline in the population of tigers in the sanctuary.
In 2006, there were 101 tigers in the Shimilipal Sanctuary while, by 2018, the figure dropped to 28.
Similarly, during the 2016 tiger census, 17 leopards were counted in the North Ghumsar Forest division. However, in 2018 the number came down to a meagre 6.

Significance:
According to the World Wildlife Fund, approximately 96% of the tiger population has declined in the last 150 years. As a result, July 29 is observed as International Tiger Day to raise awareness about this endangered species conservation and encourage people to show their support for the next generation.

History:
The International Tiger Day celebration began in 2010 after discovering that 96% of the Tiger population had declined over the previous century, with only 3,990 Tigers remaining worldwide. Because tigers were on the verge of extinction, several countries signed a petition at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in Russia to prevent the situation from escalating.

Theme:
According to the WWF, India is home to nearly 70% of the world’s tiger population, with the current wild cat population at 3,900. And, in keeping with the traditions of a theme; this year’s theme is “India launches Project Tiger to revive the tiger population.” Along with India, several other countries, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, and Vietnam, have pledged to provide a safe habitat for tigers where they can roam freely without fear of being harmed.
India’s Efforts:
• Project Tiger, which was launched in 1973, is to reintroduce tigers into the wild.
• In 2010, 13 tiger range countries pledged to double the number of wild tigers by 2022.
• The continental tiger and the Sunda Island tiger were recognised as tiger subspecies by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) in 2017.

 

Also read: Mother monkey saves her choking infant through Heimlich Manoeuvre: Watch viral video
Leave A Reply

Your email address will not be published.