Chinese snatching our tigers too; readers upset

The tiger is on the run with nowhere to hide. The National Tiger Conservation Authority has reported that only 1,411 tigers remain 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. 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 also think that a nexus between forest officials and poachers is adding fuel to the fire, think Politicians’ apathy: Many also 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 holds 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...”