Sherkhan's will only be in books then..

Only 1411 of them are left now in the country. Their skins are in demand for rugs, wall hangings and fur coats. Even medicines are made from their bones and other parts. Just eight months we lost a total of 66 more. Yes, It is Our national animal Sherkhan or tiger we are talking about. Blogging, writing, sms-ing – do whatever it takes to spread the message. Writes Mercy Barkakoty...

The national animal of our nation is on the verge of extinction. A survey conducted by the Wildlife Protection Society of India has given us a clear image of the grievous situation. Different NGOs have also done a survey on its own and have come out with grim results. It depicts that in just eight months we lost a total of 66 tigers, which is a huge number in itself. The causes are manifold.

Blame it on poaching or disease or old age or man-animal conflict, we are moving a step ahead to losing the animal. Surely we do not wish our coming generation to find the tigers only in the history books. With rapid development the country is losing out its forests.

Where do the tigers go?? Their habitat is threatened by such developments.
There are just 1411 tigers left and the country must do something to stop this from happening.

Loss, fragmentation, and degradation of forests have been major factors in the decline of the tiger population. Illegal killing also plays an increasingly damaging role as tigers have become more vulnerable. Habitat loss remains a grave danger for the tiger, particularly in Asia. In India, where there is a human population problem, people are always looking for more room which infringes on the tiger habitat. When people reside close to tigers, they transform the ecological system with cattle and crops and this in turn harms the tigers.

Poaching of tigers has been playing a determining factor for the loss of the big cats. Tiger skins are in demand for rugs, wall hangings and fur coats. Even medicines are made from the bones and other parts of the tiger. The demand for such medicines is high in China and also in India. It is interesting to know that most of the tiger based drugs are found out only where there are Chinese communities. Poaching of tigers has also been prevalent in places like Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos where anti-poaching laws are lenient. We can say that China has a growing demand for tigers and this need to be sorted out as soon as possible.

The mating of tigers has also been a cause of concern. Recent surveys have found out that there are not enough female tigers compared to the male counterparts. Such a situation will only add to the decrease of the tigers.

Tiger being our national animal deserves the attention of the nation. Just 1411 tigers remaining – it is a grim situation. The government needs to go to that extra mile to save the tigers, not just save, but increase their numbers also. A strong political will is essential to curb the problem. Our country is a democracy. Let the voice of the general public be heard.

We being responsible citizens can definitely spread the awareness and send the message loud and clear, "Save-the-Tiger" to the concerned authorities. Blogging, writing, sms-ing – do whatever it takes to spread the message. Let us stand united against poaching. Let us demand stricter punishment for the poachers, because unless the poachers are handled with an iron fists the situation will remain critical. Let us join hands to "SAVE THE TIGER". A small initiative by everyone and we can help preserve them. The national animal should and must be protected.

Act responsibly, act now.

Statewise tiger deaths: from January 1 to August 19, 2009

Source: Wildlife Protection Society of India.

Andhra Pradesh: 1 tiger poached, 1 skin seized
Assam: 6 tigers found dead, 1 found incapacitated dies, 1 shot dead by forest dept., 1 tigress poached, 5 kg bones, 4 canines and other body parts seized
Goa: 1 tiger poached
Karnataka: 6 tigers found dead, 4 tiger skins seized
Madhya Pradesh: 1 skin seized, 1 tigress poached, 10 tigers including 3 cubs found dead
Maharastra: 7 tigers including 3 cubs found dead.
Manipur: 2 skulls, 2 paws and 16 kg bones seized
Orissa: 1 tiger poached
Rajasthan: 1 tigress found dead
Tamil Nadu: 1 skin seized, 1 cub found dead
Uttar Pradesh: 2 tigers found dead, 1 tiger shot dead by forest dept., 30 kg bone seized
Uttarakhand: 6 tigers found dead, 1 skin and skeleton seized
W. Bengal: 1 tiger found dead, 2 skins and 1 skeleton seized

(Mercy is a Journalist based in Delhi. She did her English Journalism from Indian Institute Of Mass Communication (IIMC, New Delhi). She worked in a prestigious Publication House in Delhi. At present she's with one of the leading English news dailies in the country. Having a good experience of working with various NGO's specifically in North-East, She loves her motherland and takes great pride in writing about issues pertaining to North-Eastern part of India.)