The Big Wild Cats!

          Saving the tigers is no easy job; three subspecies of tigers are already extinct all over the world – the Bali, Javan, and Caspian – and the World Wildlife Foundation is trying to prevent the remaining 6, of which all have been given IUCN statuses of ‘endangered’ or ‘critically endangered’, from disappearing as well. WWF has set the goal of ‘Tx2’, aiming to double the number of wild tigers by the year 2022, which happens to be the Chinese Year of the Tiger. According to the WWF, the tiger numbers are as low as 3,200 around the world, due to a number of reasons. The big cats are forced to compete for their habitat, a result of deforestation leading to habitat loss. Poaching and killing the big cats are serious issues, especially near rural communities.

Taking a closer look at the home of the Bengal Tiger, India is a country where over the years, various efforts have been made to try and increase the population of tigers all over the country. Such organizations include “Save Our Tigers” foundation, which organized a “Kids for Tigers” initiative, helping children become more aware of the situation at hand.

And it’s good to see the efforts making a difference! According to the Times of India, in 2010 there was a 12% increase in tigers all over India from 2006. This changed the numbers from 1411 to 1706 tigers in the country! Most of the cats were found in Central India and Easter Ghats, where 601 tigers resided.

          Let’s encourage more awareness of the tiger’s predicament! Find out whether there is an initiative in your local community to which you can contribute to save the tigers!

Visit www.saveourtigers.com , www.indiantiger.org , and www.worldwildlife.org  for more information on tigers and what you can do to help!