(IN): Chinese snatching our tigers too; readers upset

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Chinese snatching our tigers too; readers upset

17 Feb 2008, 1100 hrs IST,Devyani Mohan,INDIATIMES NEWS NETWORK

 

The tiger is on the run with nowhere to hide. The National Tiger

Conservation Authority has reported that only 1,411 tigers remain

<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2777803.cms> in the wild in

India, numbers substantially lower than was previously assumed. In Rajasthan and

the Eastern Ghats in particular, the tiger is in dire straits.

 

It was evident the big cat was perilously close to extinction. TOI

Online readers such as Kiron Rao in Bangalore, Rajinder in Jammu, and

Vinay from Tokyo say, our inability to save our nation's pride is a 'national

shame'.

 

Mumtaj in Chennai feels the responsibility lies with us. " Human beings should

realize they cannot survive alone in this world without a balanced green

environment and other living beings. "

 

Hunt the hunters: Rampant poaching is the biggest reason for the fall in

tiger numbers. Readers feel harsh punishments can only deter the poachers.

Some like Ravi from Bangalore, Vinayak Gupta and Amit in Delhi, George from

UK, Arvind Rnagan in Canada, AK in Montreal, Parag Dave from Gujarat, and

Mohit Sood suggest 'shoot at sight' orders or the death penalty as possible

deterrents.

 

Viveka in Bangalore says " killing a tiger is equivalent to the murder of a

human being! " Vinay from Mysore, Doha resident Raj and Tushar think that a

nexus between forest officials and poachers is adding fuel to the fire.

 

Politicians' apathy: Many blame the political class. " It's a shame we

humans have finally succeeded in driving this wonderful creation of nature

to the brink of extinction! Let's respect each other's space and maintain

the delicate balance of our ecosystem. Politicians, who waste time on

baseless issues must do something immediately, " according to Jo from

Melbourne.

 

Yogesh from Ahmedabad, Aniket from Mumbai, Hemant and Krishna Kumar in

Bangalore and Harish in Gurgaon also hold successive governments

responsible.

 

" It's a shame on our part that we are losing such a fantastic creature to

human greed. Unless the government does something immediately, the tigers in

India will be a thing of past, " writes Eshwar from California.

 

International clampdown : Shalc from India feels the Chinese are to blame.

Pressure has to be put on the Chinese to ban tiger parts trade, he says. " If

they continue to demand tiger parts, these tigers will die. "

 

" Between the poachers, corrupt government staff, and the voracious Chinese,

the Indian tiger will soon disappear, " adds Probhat Raha from Ontario,

Canada.

 

Deforestation: Loss of natural habitat due to rapid urbanisation,

industrialisation and encroachment in the buffer zones is also taking its

toll on the majestic animal. Naxal activity in select reserves is worsening

the situation.

 

Olaf from Brisbane writes, " Builders and common people have encroached the

wilds and the government is letting them... Everybody must feel

responsible... "

 

The only way to save these tigers is to curb the human population in the

country. Else, humans will destroy almost every single resource in this

country, adds Thomas living in Seattle, USA and Deepak Vohra.

 

Avinash from Kolkata says, " Poaching, shrinking forests, increasing human

encroachment is making the natural cycle precarious. Unless the laws are

implemented effectively the situation is not going to change. "

 

Amitosh in Bangalore however feels we had already reached the point of no

return. " First the tiger, and then other species will disappear. "

 

Not too late: Clearly the tiger was facing a tough battle for survival.

Despite the hype, the magnificent animal had pretty much been left to fend

for itself; now is the time to come to its rescue.

<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/What_should_be_done_to_save_tigers/articlesh\

ow/2777815.cms>

 

Sundar from New Jersey says, " Strict measures should be taken to deal with

the poaching menace. The law and its implementing authorities should have

more teeth and modern gadgets [should be made available] to detect and

prevent foul play. As regards a tiger's natural habitat, we human beings

need to learn to live within our bounds and not encroach on forest land.

Interestingly, such issues are not in the agenda of any political parties. "

 

Increase forest cover: Planting more trees and reducing pollution would

assist in increasing the forest cover, suggests Raj in USA and Venkat in

Bangalore

 

Mumbai residents Shailesh and Bhargav, and Pranav from Coventry, UK

suggests similar steps including allocation of more funds towards

environment protection, limiting deforestation, enforcing strict poaching

laws, and curbing movement inside the park and buffer zones.

 

" Sophisticated firearms and better equipment for forest guards will help, "

thinks Roopa Esther living in Noida. Gurgaon resident Sarjeet feels strict

measure such as temporary shut down of the forest for the public may also

work.

 

Tiger Tourism: Adnan (Dubai) Nirmal Jana (Gurgaon) and Suvid Bajaj

(London) think promotion of wildlife tourism with involvement of the locals

can benefit the tiger. The funds collected will be used for the local

people.

 

" Make villagers feel responsible for preserving their wildlife. Reward

informants so that it is more lucrative than poaching tigers or trading in

tiger parts, " are steps that AK from Montreal and Jacob George, UAE,

suggest.

 

Captive breeding : Readers including Jatin in USA, Sathesh John in

Michigan, Mukesh Samtani in Ahmedabad, P Basu and Anand from Bangalore

propose captive breeding to increase the tiger population.

 

Export the Tiger: For Col. Vijay Rajdhan in Dehradun, and Vineet and MS

Kamath (Bangalore), the tigers' best chance lies in being sent out to a more

economically advanced and environmentally conscious country. But Mukesh

Samtani and Aditi Deopujari did not agree - India needed to be self

sufficient.

 

Public awareness: Meenakshi in USA and Shrikant Ashar from Mumbai feel it

is time the youth take up the cause to save the endangered animal. Schools

and colleges can include the study of the environment and preservation of

tigers in their curriculum.

 

But action had to be taken now; the day is not far when the most

charismatic species on Earth, and sadly the most threatened, will only be

seen in the confines of a zoo.

 

Chetan in Bangalore thinks the media should create public awareness. " A

campaign similar to the one on Global Warming should be initiated, " he

suggests. Murali Gopalan and Arun Nayak (Bangalore) and Kartik living in

Chennai suggest the Times of India should take the lead...

 

Survival of the fittest? But this NRI in the US draws on Darwin's concepts

of Natural Selection. " Are we trying to prove Darwin's theory of " Survival

of the fittest " wrong? There are thousands of species that have been wiped

from our planet and many will be wiped in coming years. Which species are to

be saved or not is not our call.... "

 

--

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http://www.stopelephantpolo.com