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Project Tiger |
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I ndia:
India contains 60% of the world's tigers; as recently as 1970 it was
still legal to hunt them and to export skins. During the 1950s and
early 1960s it is recorded that more than 3,000 tigers lost their
lives to trophy hunters, most of these being tourists.
Aims of Project Tiger:
Thanks in no small part to the
efforts of conservation-minded Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi,
India's national emblem was eventually declared a protected animal.
Project Tiger was formed in 1972 and launched on the 1st
April 1973 at Corbett National Park. It's aims were:
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To
ensure maintenance of a viable population of tigers in India for
scientific, economic, aesthetic, cultural and ecological values.
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To
preserve, for all times, areas of such biological importance as a
national heritage for the benefit, education and enjoyment of the
people.
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Early
development:
With the co-operation of the Indian Government, Project Tiger
initially established 9 reserves, across different ecosystems. These
were devoted specifically to saving the tiger and eliminating those
factors which were contributing to the decline of the tiger:
- habitat destruction.
- forestry
disturbance.
- loss of prey.
- poaching.
- competition with
local villagers and domestic animals.
The
First Tiger Reserves:
The selected areas
had to meet various criteria before inclusion into the scheme:
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Th e
initial reserves were:
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Bandipur
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Corbett
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Kanha
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Manas
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Melghat
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Palamau
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Ranthambore
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Simlipal
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Sundarbans
An
Unpopular Move:
It is
a little-known fact that the period prior to the official ban on
shooting, and the implementation of Project Tiger, was one of the
worst-ever for tigers. It seems everyone wanted to bag a trophy before
the law changed and prevented them doing so.
Few conservation programmes are ever popular at the beginning. They
cost money, impose unwanted restrictions, often interfere with the
plans of big business, and show no economic gain to offset any of this |
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