APPEAL OF THE DIRECTOR FROM DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL TIGER DAY, 29THJULY, 2018.
International Tiger Day is observed on 29th July of every year. The International Tiger Day founded at the St. Petersburg Tiger Summit in 2010 on July 29th, this day is celebrated on every year to raise awareness for tiger conservation. The tiger is the largest big cat and this remarkable creature, with its unique black and orange stripes and attractively marked face. This day is celebrated to protect the tiger habitats and to gain support through awareness for tiger protection as it has been found over 97% of wild tigers had disappeared in the last century, with only around 3,000 left alive. Many factors lead to their decreases in habitat loss, hunting, poaching and climate change, so the International Tiger Day aims to preserve and increase their habitats and raise awareness of the need for protection of tigers.
Important Facts of Tiger
v Tigers have more than 100 stripes on their body but not two tigers have the same pattern of stripes.
v Tigers have been divide into 8 subspecies – Indian (or Bengal), Indo-Chinese, Sumatran, Amur (or Siberian), South China, Caspian (extinct), Java (extinct), and Bali (extinct).
v Tigers keep their claws sharp by keeping it inside the retractable sheath and taking it out only when required for hunting.
v The vision of the tiger is six times better than a human at night. They also hunt by hearing and sight and not by smell.
v All tiger subspecies put together currently amount to fewer than 3,000 endangered tigers remaining in the wild..
v White Tigers are not albinos. They just do not have the orange colored genes.
v A tiger can leap as high as 10 feet in a single jump.
v The smallest of all tiger species is the Sumatran tiger and the largest the Siberian tiger.
India
The National Tiger Conservation Authority has been fulfilling its mandate within the ambit of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 for strengthening tiger conservation in the country by retaining an oversight through advisories/normative guidelines, based on appraisal of tiger status, ongoing conservation initiatives and recommendations of specially constituted Committees.
Project Tiger
Project Tiger is a tiger conservation programme launched in 1973 by the Government of India. The project aims at ensuring a viable population of tigers in their natural habitats, protecting them from extinction, and preserving areas of biological importance as a natural heritage forever represented as close as possible the diversity of ecosystems across the tiger's distribution in the country. ‘Project Tiger’ is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the Environment, Forests and Climate Change, providing funding support to tiger range States, for in-situ conservation of tigers in designated tiger reserves and has put the endangered tiger on an assured path of recovery by saving it from extinction, as revealed by the recent findings of the All India tiger estimation using the refined methodology.
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu has been a pioneer State in Protected Area management and development of forest resources and wildlife. There are four tiger reserves in Tamil Nadu such as Anamalai, Kalakkad - Mundanthurai, Mudumalai and Sathyamangalam. The Tiger Population in Tamil Nadu was estimated as 229 numbers during 2014 (National Tiger Conservation Authority). The tiger reserves, based on their Tiger Conservation Plans is an important activity. This, interalia, includes protection, habitat amelioration, day to day monitoring, eco-development for local people in buffer areas, voluntary relocation of people from core/critical tiger habitats, and addressing human-wildlife conflicts, within the ambit of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and guidelines of Project Tiger / National Tiger Conservation Authority.
v Tiger Reserve Tamil Nadu is an Effective protection measures are under taken to protect the Tiger and its co predators and other wild animals.
v The major problem faced in the Tiger Reserve is the operation of interstate Sandalwood smugglers, Ganja cultivators, Poachers, etc., These problems are being effectively tackled through functioning of Anti-Poaching Camps located in the interior and vulnerable areas.
v Floating camps have been formed to monitor the movement of Anti-social elements, poachers, smugglers, etc.
v Toll free numbers have been installed to receive information from the public regarding man animal conflicts, fire and about movement of smugglers.
v Wireless communication network has been strengthened by installing new sets and posting personnel at each wireless stations.
On this International Tiger Day, I urge all to take responsibility for joining hands with common people, Government agencies, NGOs, and people of all the community to enhance public awareness towards the Tiger conservation and to protect this world’s big cats, which are on the verge of extinction and support for tiger protection. The primary goal of this day is to encourage the conservation and expansion of the Tigers. To celebrate this event, variety of programs like seminars, lectures, nature walks, poster exhibitions, video films screening, slide shows based on the tiger conservation, art and quiz competitions, painting competition, photography exhibition, community cleanup, interviews on radio and television and etc can be organized at many places.
Director of Environment