Steep tiger population decrease in India

Kristopher Hilbert / 2:50 PM / 02.15.08 / Pollution / 5

        Pollution is defined differently by different sources but they have some common ground. The basic definition is: the entrance of an entity into another that somehow disrupts the second entity’s natural state of being. This has brought about questions of what qualifies as pollution. I’ve noticed that the other students who have pollution as a subject seem to have emissions and chemical leakage sort of pollution covered, so I’m going to try and focus on another kind of pollution. I will be focusing my current events on how humans are changing the natural state of the earth that affects non-humans and their environments. I have found many articles that illustrate this global problem and I feel as though it might do some good sharing them.

        40% of the world’s tigers can be found in India. The problem is the steep fall in their population. India, which had 40,000 tigers just one century ago, is now under scrutiny over tiger populations. Orissa, the eastern Indian state, has accounted for 37-53 of India’s 1,411 tigers in a recent census. This is a drastic fall from the 192 tigers that were found in 2005. The National Tiger Conservation Authority, who conducted the recent consensus, is being disputed by local authorities.
        Some are saying that the numbers had been faulty while the other side is standing by their work. However, many people believe that the argument over exact numbers barely changes how much protection the tigers need. The consistent and steep falls in tiger populations throughout India has been blamed on the government’s lack of force towards poachers. Tigers are killed for their claws, teeth, skulls, and furs which are sold for $12,500 in China. Many conservationists and wildlife experts say that little is done to protect the species and that poaching and urban expansion has brought about declining world populations of tigers.

        Once again, humans wanting to make money and expand to survive in the global economy have made tigers the victims of their desire for more. The division between local and national officials of working together on tiger counts shows something for India’s stance on the tigers that live there. While local and national organizations argue over statistics many wildlife officers and conservationists are trying to do something about the tigers’ situation. Humans need to see the effects of their lifestyles on surrounding areas and the animals that inhabit them. The fact that pelts of such an endangered animal are being sold in the world markets show how much is being done by India.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7246121.stm