|
|
|
Rate the Story
|
|
|
|
NDTV Active
|
To read the biggest stories of the day on your mobile, type
mobile.ndtv.com on your phone browser.
|
|
|
|
| Forums |
|
Born wild: Are we doing enough to save the big cat?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Roaring for the tiger: India signs on
NDTV Correspondent
Sunday, March 09, 2008, (New Delhi)
NDTV's signature campaign to stop the alarming decline in the number of tigers in India has got an overwhelming response.
More than 4,75,000 people signed on to show their support.
Now, the petition will be given to the Prime Minister and the Chief Ministers. This is an important campaign as there are just about 1400 tigers left in India.
The Tiger campaign was supported by Sanctuary Asia and Kids for Tigers across the country.
NDTV held rallies all over India on Sunday in various schools, malls, stores and cineplexes. Citizens and celebrities joined in to sign on the petition.
In just hundred years, tiger numbers have dwindled from 40,000 to less than 1400 and in the next five years we can either save or lose our tigers altogether.
Here's what the government has done.
- A sum of Rs 1600 crore has been sanctioned for conservation in the next five years. Of this, Rs 50 crore will be spent specifically on tigers.
- Soon after the census came out, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held an emergency meeting of government officials where it decided that henceforth the conservation of tigers in a state was the responsibility of the chief minister.
But there's still a lot that needs to be done. Conservationists including those with the Tiger Task Force have given their suggestions. Drastic measures by the government are required to save our national animal from extinction.
Emergency measures needed:
Saving the tiger must immediately become a Central responsibility, not the states
Armed guards must protect our sanctuaries
Forest guards must be upgraded to police status
India's intelligence agencies must be used to stop poaching
We need our leaders and politicians to see the urgency of the problem and declare an Emergency for the tiger.
The Prime Minister is head of the Wildlife Board, the highest decision making body on these affairs and the Chief Ministers are responsible for the tiger population in their states.
We want to make sure that the Centre takes over the responsibility of saving the tiger, not the states. Armed guards must protect our sanctuaries and India's intelligence agencies must be used to stop poaching.
|