Having decimated their own sources, Far Eastern traditional medicine manufacturers are now targeting Indian black-marketeers for their supply of tiger bones. According to Wildlife Protection Society of India, poaching of tigers for the traditional Chinese medicine industry started in northern India in the mid-1980s. This illegal trade has now spread all across the country, even though offenders are liable to be booked for a maximum sentence of three years’ imprisonment or a fine which may extend to Rs. 25,000 or both, under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
But despite hard rules and regulations, tiger poaching has not been rooted out from India. As per Wikipedia, there are 49 tiger reserves in India which are governed by Project Tiger, under the administration of the National Tiger Conservation Authority. India is home to 70% of tigers in the world. In 2006, there were 1,411 tigers; this number increased to 1,706 in 2011 and 2,226 in 2014. According to a Guardian report, India is home to more than half of the world’s total tiger population with 2,226 in its reserves as per the 2014 census.
Aiming to curb tiger poaching in India, Discovery Communications is partnering with World Wildlife Fund called Project C.A.T. on a film project, which the former believes will help in the funding process and help conserve nearly 1 million acres of protected habitat for tigers in India and Bhutan, and also help protect and increase the tiger population in the region.
It is a matter of collective effort. In the last century alone, the tiger population has dropped by an astonishing 96%. Less than 4,000 are believed to be left in the wild due to habitat loss and pervasive poaching. Given ample space, prey and protection from poaching, tiger populations can rebound.
In the last century alone, the wild tiger population has dropped by an astonishing 96%. Less than 4,000 are believed to be left in the wild due to habitat loss and pervasive poaching.
“The global movement to protect tigers just got one million acres stronger,” said David Zaslav, president and CEO of Discovery Communications. “Discovery is a purpose-driven company, and for more than 30 years we’ve had cameras in every corner of the globe, from Planet Earth to Racing Extinction, documenting and inspiring audiences about the beauty and splendour of our planet. Unfortunately, our cameras have also captured the fragile state of much of the world and its animals. So today we take a bold step further, beyond the lens, to protect one of our most iconic and endangered species. Not on our watch will we let these beautiful animals disappear from the world. We will shine a light on this compelling cause and amplify it through our global brands and platforms with the goal of doubling the wild tiger population by 2022.”
This trans-boundary landscape in which World Wildlife Fund has been a conservation partner with the Discovery sponsorship, governments of India and Bhutan, will allow rangers to more closely monitor tiger health and other key scientific data, take additional anti-poaching safeguards, and to maintain land and corridors to improve movement of all wild animals.
The effort to double the tiger population a species at the top of the food chain — will protect other endangered species and stimulate a healthy ecosystem across the nearly one-million acre site. Along with sponsorship of the habitat, Discovery will leverage its formidable creative capabilities and unmatched global multiplatform distribution of channels to three billion cumulative worldwide viewers to support WWF’s Tx2 effort, which began in 2010, to double the population of wild tigers across the world by 2022, which is the next Year of the Tiger. It will also create original public service announcements and in-program content tied to Project CAT to raise awareness and encourage viewers around the globe to take action to support wild tigers. WWF’s efforts include conservation of additional tiger sites, across all 13 tiger range countries, with rigorous scientific analysis and monitoring of tigers and their prey, as well as advocating for and raising awareness of tiger conservation and eliminating illegal wildlife trade around
the world.
“Tiger populations are rising for the first time in a century,” said Carter Roberts, president and CEO of World Wildlife Fund (WWF). “These numbers reflect the extraordinary commitment of regional leaders and leading philanthropists to double the population of tigers in the wild. We need even more of a movement to accomplish these goals. Discovery’s devotion to conservation and impressive reach can only inspire others to join the cause.”
Most recently, Discovery and the U.S. Wildlife Trafficking Alliance, in conjunction with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, launched an originally created public service announcement narrated by actor Edward Norton encouraging individuals to take action against the illegal trade and purchase of animal products around the world. PSA, the partnership between Discovery Communications and US Wildlife Trafficking alliance, is currently airing in the U.S. and Africa, and will soon appear across Discovery’s networks in Asia.