News Clip # 1:
32 tigers dead in India in just 4 months of 2012 so far[1][4].
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| [Source: http://animalcruelty-india.blogspot.com] |
News Clip # 2:
Poachers in MP had accepted a contract to kill 25 tigers[2]. The price of the contract is believed to be Rs. 40 lakh.
Forest department of Maharashtra has issued orders to the staff to be on high alert. All leaves and vacations of the staff till June have been cancelled.
News Clip #3:
Within a week of above news, yesterday, a tiger was found to be brutally murdered in Tadoba[3]. Tiger's head and four legs are missing.
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| Source: http://sparetheclaws.yolasite.com/bibliography.php |
A lot of thoughts come to mind!
First of all, it's an evident national shame!! After independence we took26 years to realize that the tiger is India's natural heritage (in fact, it's world heritage!) and that we need to protect them! Ever since then, common people have been fooled into believing that the tigers in the country are safe, while poachers continued to kill and smuggle tiger's mortal remains across the borders and out into the international markets. Recent example of Sariska wildlife sanctuary is a glaring such example. Government kept publishing arbitrary number of tigers till 2005 when the ecologists and tiger-lovers challenged these numbers. A 2-month CBI probe actually proved that the experts were true - that there were NO tigers left in Sariska any more[5].
But however incompetent, corrupt, inefficient, insensitive and helpless government and the forest department are, they are not the root cause.
The root cause of why tigers get killed is we - the people.
People who like to buy expensive purses and jackets of tiger skin.
People who like to believe that eating some body part of tiger can really invigorate them or cure them.
People who like to buy pendants made of tiger's nail and tooth.
People who are proud of hanging tiger-head trophies in their lavish living rooms.
Even if all of us don't buy these articles personally, we do approve of our favorite cine-stars and celebrities wearing them in parties and public appearances.
We create a demand that the smugglers and poachers merely fulfill.
So what can we do?:
1. Never buy any product made from an animal part _unless_ they come from a trustworthy source like WWF or some national parks/zoos where animals are not killed for the sake of these artifacts. Otherwise never ever buy such a product be it as small thing as a kid's crown with peacock feathers.
2. Ban the individuals, companies, agencies that use such products. China is one of the biggest consumer of tiger skins and meat. Ban this cheap Chinese stuff.
3. Help raise awareness among others. Share such thoughts within your circles and encourage them to at least follow the first 2 points above.
4. Contribute. You can contribute either monetarily or in the form of time and effort. You can contribute to the NGOs and pressure groups that work in the field of protection of tigers. However, do make sure that the help you are offering is going where you want it to go. Ensure the genuineness and effectiveness of the agency/NGO before helping them.
All good, great actions always start with "me".
And if this message reaches and convinces the 1+ Billion "Me"s of India, we would have ensured a safe future for the king of our jungles!
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| [Source: http://goodnature.nathab.com] |
It's time to act so that he has a future!
References:
[1] 32 tigers dead in first four months of 2012:
[2] वाघांची शिकार रोखण्यासाठी राज्यात युद्धपातळीवर धावपळ:
[3] ताडोबात आणखी एका वाघाची शिकार :
[4] Tiger killed by poacher trap at Tadoba:
[5] No tigers left in Sariska:
23-May-2012:
ReplyDeleteForest Minister of the state - Mr. Patangrao Kadam - has taken a really bold, commendable step of issuing "shoot at sight" orders against poachers.
Someone might ask: considering the number of forest guards that patrol the park, what is the possibility of one ever catching the sight of a poacher?
But however that is, some such decision was extremely necessary to boost the morale of the protectionists and demotivate poachers.
I just hope that the minister has not stopped at just issuing the orders, but has also diligently followed up on it to ensure that the forest guards actually get the necessary weapons in adequate quantity.
If implemented truly, even this fear of getting shot down would prove significantly effective in curbing the presence of poachers in and around the parks.
Let's hope that the next news of a death in Tadoba, if at all such an unfortunate news arrives, is that of a poacher rather than that of a cat!