International Tiger Day is celebrated on July 29 to raise awareness about the conservation of the wild cat, which more than the last 150 years has witnessed a enormous drop of practically 95% in its population. However, with many nations taking measures to curb poaching, illegal wildlife trade, human-wildlife conflict, and habitat loss, and so on, the tiger population has shown some development. Not just that, cutting of trees also contributes drastically to habitat loss, thereby major to the reduction in the quantity of tigers.
History of International Tiger Day:
On July 29, 2010, a quantity of nations became signatories to an agreement at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in Russia. The nations pledged to raise awareness about the dramatic fall in the quantity of tigers and the actions essential to preserve the species from going extinct. Not just that, numerous tiger-populated nations also vowed that they would attempt to double the population of the animal by 2022.
Theme of International Tiger Day, 2021
The theme for the 2021 International Tiger Day is “Their survival is in our hands”. Last year, the day was observed on line due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, but there was no lack of enthusiasm. People across the world understood the significance of the day and contributed to celebrations in their personal strategies. Interestingly, India accounts for practically 70% of the world’s total tiger population and has currently accomplished the target of doubling its numbers.
Significance of International Tiger Day:
According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the existing population of the wild cat is 3,900. As talked about earlier, by next year, WWF, along with the nations with tiger populations, aims to double their numbers to 6,000. The day is all the more crucial, for there was a time when tigers had been spotted roaming across most of the African continent. However, poaching, illegal wildlife trade and habitat loss triggered their population and variety to shrink to just about 7%.
India is home to 51 tiger reserves situated across 18 states. The tiger census of 2018, showed an improve in the population of India’s national animal.