Many species of wildlife are being threatened with extinction, so conservation has become a major concern worldwide. One way to protect wildlife is to allow animals to live in freedom and safety in a special area.
Our national animal, the tiger, is one of the animals that has been in danger of being wiped out. The tiger population has come down to a few thousands, due to widespread hunting and poaching. They are poisoned, electrocuted, trapped, snared, shot and
captured because of the demands of a continuing illegal wildlife trade. It is believed that the bones and nails of the tiger have medicinal and magical properties, so there is a great demand for them. Moreover, coats and rugs made from tiger fur are fashionable. This is what makes the trade so profitable.
Another reason that tigers are in danger is that they are losing their natural habitat. Forests are being cut down to make place for buildings and to get firewood. As a result, animals that the tiger preys on are being wiped out, and with them, the tiger. The world
has lost three of the eight tiger subspecies.
The world wide fund for nature is playing a major role in saving threatened species, including the tiger. Among its projects around the world, it has a program to save the tiger and other endangered species in the Eastern Himalayas.
The Himalayas is among the most beautiful places on the earth, and also home to a great variety of plants and animals. There are towering snowcapped peaks, isolated valleys, and thick forests.
Only in the eastern Himalayas, in the grasslands called the Terai, do tiger, elephants and leopards co-exist with people. Wildlifefound in the higher regions includes snow leopards, black bears, and red panda. Unfortunately, this wildlife is under a major threat, due to a number of reasons. Mountain glaciers are melting, as a result of global warming. Growing population and poverty force people to destroy forests and strain resources.
Finally, poaching is reducing species like tigers and rhinos. WWF is working beet taken to stop poaching and illegal trade, and also prevent human-tiger conflict. WWF has helped to improve the livelihood of the local people, so there isless pressure on grasslands and forests. This has helped to restore the natural habit for wildlife, more tiger’s conservation efforts. An interesting discovers was the sighting of a tiger almost 14, 00 ft. above sea-level in Bhutan! This was seen through an infra-red camera set up there. Bhutan still has a large forest cover, and a sizeable tiger population.
India today has the largest number of tigers, mainly due to the project tiger launched in 1972 to save the Indian tiger population. There are now a number of tiger reserves and sanctuaries for this purpose. Apart from saving the tiger, these reserves are also home to other species. The Corbett National park is the first and the oldest national park in India.
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