Ferocious, yet majestic, the Tiger T-104 story of a tiger , Why is it important to save Tigers?
Ranthambore(Rajasthan india )-Ferocious, yet majestic, the Tiger T-104 from Ranthambore National Park is one story that is both fascinating and terrifying.
T-104 is a tiger that lost its way due to overpopulated areas and killed three human beings in villages near the park such as Sawai Madhopur, Karauli and Dholpur. Due to the lack of territorial space, T-104 ventured into human habitats. After taking his third victim, he was traced, captured and relocated to a more secluded zonal area that is away from villages or settlements.
The story of this Tiger is very famous, especially due to the 7 – day search that involved the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NCTA) laying guidelines how to retrieve this animal back to a safer zone. Due to the lack of activity amongst the farmers, they had threatened to kill the animal and this was just one obstacle. The forest officials overcame a lot of hurdles but succeeded in tranquilizing T-104 safely and capturing it to relocate to an enclosure in Jaipur’s Nahargarh Biological Park.
The story of T-104 is a famous one that involves pain but also shows us why Tigers must be preserved in vast lands of open space so they can live their best lives too.
Why is it important to save Tigers?
The most magnificent creature in the entire world, the tiger is.
– quote by the renowned animal expert Jack Hanna
Tigers are one of the most magnificent creatures currently on the earth. But they’re also one of the most hunted, poached and endangered species out there. Tigers play a pivotal role in the health and diversity of the forest ecosystem. As one of the top predators, Tigers are at the peak of the food chain and keeps the population of the wild in check. There they maintain the natural balance between prey, herbivores and the vegetation. Due to this, they’re extremely important and their dwindling numbers mean that the ecosystem is unstable.
A great sneak peak of wildlife filmmaker Mr. Robin Karyeth and wildlife expert Mr. Islam Mohammed chatting during the filming of Save The Tiger documentary for Big Cat Paws Wildlife Conservation Society.
If a top predator such as this goes extinct, it can have a ricochet effect to the ecosystem and leave a deep scar. For example, as the Dodos went extinct in Mauritius, a species of the Acacia tree also started degenerating. Such not-so-obvious interrelationships are a trademark of the beautiful complexity of nature.
At the turn of the 21st century, it was estimated that India only had a few thousands of tigers in the wild. These kind of estimation surveys have been conducted regularly by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
During these surveys in 2011, WWF-India was the key NGO partner of the WII and NTCA in conducting a more comprehensive estimation exercise across the entire country. This survey revealed a mean tiger population estimate of only 1,706.
Using the Pug Mark technique, the census estimate that was calculated in 2002 stood at a low 3,642. Another tiger estimation exercise conducted by WII and NTCA in 2014, used camera traps to deduce a lowered number of only 2,226 tigers left in the wild.
Therefore inspite of the existing conservation efforts, we still have a long way to go. We should continue to do our best and should aim for higher goals to conserve and appreciate these beasts. In the end, every being on the earth share common resources and in that spirit, aren’t we all the same?
