International Tiger Day-Facts and Concerns

The International Tiger Day being observed on 29 July every year.

Hyderabad (Telangana):The international Tiger Day – that is observed on 29 July every year is an effort to create awareness about one of the most elegant species on this planet. The decision to recognise this day was made in Russia in 2010 during the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit. Representatives from around 13 nations declared that the tiger-populated countries will take initiatives to more than double the tiger population by 2022.

Though there have been several efforts made by the government and other organisations, the truth is that this graceful cannibal is on the verge of extinction. According to government data India has lost 1,059 tigers since 2012. Madhya Pradesh, which is known as the ‘tiger state’ of the country, has recorded the highest number of deaths of striped felines.

According to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), 75 tigers have died this year so far, while 127 had died last year, the highest in the 2012-2022 period. As many as 106 tiger deaths occurred in 2020; 96 in 2019; 101 in 2018; 117 in 2017; 121 in 2016; 82 in 2015; 78 in 2014; 68 in 2013 and 88 in 2012.

The striped wild cat is, however, declining in population due to loss of habitat, illegal wildlife trade, increasing animal-human conflict and more. According to data, 193 tigers died due to poaching in the 2012-2020 period. Data of deaths due to poaching since January 2021 is not yet available.

The data also identified “seizure” as the reason for the death of 108 tigers, while 44 big cats died due to “unnatural” causes in this period. According to the NTCA, poaching is considered as the reason for all tiger deaths in the beginning. The onus of proving a case as natural or poaching rests with the state. In the event of any doubt, in spite of the evidence, poaching is ascribed as the reason for death..

On World Tiger Day, here are some interesting facts about the wild cat:

1.Tigers are the biggest wild cats on the planet.

2.There are only a few subspecies of the wild cat left- Bengal tiger, Amur tiger, Malayan Tiger, Indochinese Tiger and Sumatran Tiger. Three species- Javan, Bali and Caspian tigers- have already gone extinct. The South China Tiger is believed to be functionally extinct by the World Wildlife Fund.

3.The population of tigers has shrunk over the past century, with only 3,900 of these predators alive in the wild. The species has been classified as 'endangered' because of this.

4. Currently, there are more tigers in captivity in the United States than the total population of the species in the wild. As per estimates, there are about 5,000 captive tigers in the US.

5. These predators can travel 6-12 miles in a night for hunting. They can sprint at about 49–65 km/h for short bursts.

6.According to the World Wildlife Fund, more than 8,000 tigers are being held in tiger “farms” and breeding centres, with roughly three-quarters of the number in China itself. These commercial captive breeding efforts perpetuate the demand for tiger products and are a cover for illegal wildlife trade as well.

7. A group of tigers is called a streak or an ambush.

8. These wild cats are extremely protective over their kill. A tiger does not usually feast at the kill site but instead drags its prey into cover before eating it. If it leaves for a while, the tiger will cover the carcass by putting dirt, grass, leaves or even rocks over it.