Considering your own duty too, you ought not to hesitate, for there is no better engagement that exists

(for a Kshatriya) than fighting for righteousness - The Bhagavat Gita, Chapter 2, Verse 31

DEFEND THE TIGER 10 THINGS YOU CAN DO!

Passion or concern without action is of little use. Even if a small fraction of the millions of well-meaning people in the world decide to actually do something, it could make a huge difference. So what can we, the citizens of this country, do to help save the tiger? Well, if it were as simple as writing out a doctors prescription, we could make the problems vanish overnight! But its a bit more complex than that. However, contrary to popular belief, ordinary people can make an extraordinary difference. Here are some ways all of us can help create the necessary political and bureaucratic will to ensure that our national animal continues to burn bright in our forests.

1. Be well informed. No problem can be solved without a good understanding of its nuances. Most of us
grow up with cinema, cricket and politics all around us and are experts in these subjects. Nature and the problems of conservation are not only much more complex, but require interest and some effort to understand. The film The Truth About Tigers by Shekar Dattatri explains the ecology of the tiger, the reasons for its decline and some of the solutions to these problems. If you havent seen the film, please do so! Write to us and well send you a free copy (the only condition is that you should share it with as many people as you can). Keep visiting this website every once in a while because we will add new material regularly. Two books can help greatly further your understanding of tigers and their conservation: The Way of the Tiger by K. Ullas Karanth andTiger: The Ultimate Guide by Valmik Thapar. These are available at all major bookstores in India. A list of other suggested reading is in another section on this website. 2. Be an ambassador for tigers: Once youve acquired a good understanding of the basic issues, spread the word. It can be as simple as directing people to this website. Or, if you want to do more, talk to us. We need intelligent, caring and articulate volunteers who can take the film and show it to a variety of audiences. 3. Understand the roles of the Central and State Governments: Protecting forests and tigers is the joint responsibility of both the Central Government and State Governments. While the Centre provides a considerable amount of funding for the running of Tiger Reserves, the responsibility of on-ground protection rests squarely with the respective State Governments. At present, most State Governments give this task extremely low priority. Unless capable and committed Forest Officers are posted to these reserves and given the authority to do their jobs without fear or favour, nothing much will change. You can gain an clear understanding of what a Chief Minister needs to do to save tigers here. 4. Be a watchdog: If you live near a forest and are in the habit of visiting it, find a few like-minded friends and form a watchdog group. The group need not be a formal or registered organization. The idea of forming such a group is to keep an eye on the forest to make sure that it is being properly cared for by the authorities. Sometimes a good officer will require the support of civil society groups to perform his duties diligently. Find out how you can assist such an officer. At other times, a corrupt or inept officer may have to be stopped in his or her tracks. Today the Right To Information Act enables any citizen of the country to ask for information and receive it. Often, getting information, analyzing it, pin pointing the problem and alerting higher authorities may be all that is required. If this fails one can take the help of the media. If that too fails, one can approach the courts. Remember however that courts dont take kindly to frivolous petitions. So before a matter goes to court, it must be diligently researched. Get a good lawyer on your side! You can also be an individual watchdog. When you go on a holiday to a wildlife reserve the next time, dont just look at the wildlife. Try to find out exactly what the Forest Department is doing about protecting the Forest and its wildlife. Talk to as many of the Forest Department personnel as you can, at different levels of the hierarchy, to find out whats going on. If you get some information that you think needs to be investigated further, write to us and we will suggest who you should approach in your state for action. Also keep an eye out for any construction or earth moving activities in the forest and document these with clear photographs. Note down the date and location and send us the pictures. Often, money that should go into protecting a reserve is wastefully spent on unnecessary constructions or so-called

habitat management activities which may have no scientific basis. Remember, this is precious tax payers money, which should not be frittered away. 5. Use your social network: All of us have a social circle, which may also include people in influential positions in Government, industry or politics. It is our job as tiger ambassadors to take every opportunity we get to speak to these people about the need and importance of protecting forests and wildlife. Almost every person has an empathy for nature deep inside, which may need some kindling. Of course, an important question people may ask is, whether we should halt Indias development plans in order to conserve wildlife. The answer is, no. Wildlife reserves in India constitute a mere 5 % of our vast land area, yet they provide water and other ecosystem services that make our life and economic growth possible in the other 95%. By preserving these natural assets we can ensure our ecological security and preserve a priceless heritage that enriches our country. It is imperative that we zealously protect this tiny percentage from human pressures. By destroying them further, we will not solve any of Indias many problems, but only exacerbate them. Let us make the best use of the land area that is already under development through sensible land use planning. rather than destroy that which we can never recreate. Indias economic growth can only be sustained if we have healthy forests. And for forests to be healthy, we need intact communities of plants, insects, birds and animals, including the top predator, the tiger. 6. Support conservation NGOs: Many people may not have the time to do much conservation work themselves. In such cases, one can support the work done by good conservation organizations with a credible track record. Not all NGOs or organizations may be genuinely effective at the ground level. Sometimes it is far better to support a small but active and effective grassroots group than a top-heavy mega NGO, who may not be doing what really matters. A bit of research will enable you to find a suitable organization. You can either contribute to their work financially, or provide them with useful services. 7. Start a school outreach programme: If, 20 years ago, our education system had inculcated a strong sense of importance for conservation, we may have had better decision makers today and less destruction of our forests. Education and awareness-creation are, unfortunately, highly underrated even by most conservation NGOs, because they dont often produce immediate, tangible gains. However, if we start even today with our youth, the future may see an increase in forests and wildlife. So, if you have the ability to reach out to students and teachers, you can screen The Truth About Tigers and develop other programmes around the film. Dont expect immediate miracles as a result of these efforts. Growing awareness is like growing a tree. It will take time for efforts to bear fruit. But if the seed itself is not planted, there will never be a tree! 8. Use your core skills: Most people imagine that wildlife conservation entails giving up ones life and staying in a forest. Obviously there are people who devote themselves exclusively to conservation every day of their lives. Most other people however have nine to five jobs or families to take care of. That does not mean that you cannot achieve anything. The most important thing is to understand what your core skills are and then make this skill available to good NGOs so they can do their jobs better. For instance, if you are a lawyer, you can help an NGO or citizens group fight a case to protect forests and wildlife. If you are a journalist, you can write well-researched stories to inspire and educate people. If you are an MLA, MP. Minister or bureaucrat, you can ensure good policies and the implementation of those policies. If you are a web designer, you can help create knowledge portals on conservation. If you are an event manager, you can use your core skills to create and manage events that bring people together for conservation. So, no matter who you are or what you do for a living, there is a tangible way for you to make a difference. Its just a matter of taking the first step. The rest will follow. 9. Write letters to the editor: Adding ones name to an email petition or signature campaign may feel good, but it may not always achieve something. If one wants to really contribute towards conservation, such an act alone will not help. However, even writing a one-paragraph response to a newspaper article on wildlife or conservation can be extremely valuable. Even if the letter is not published, it will send a message to the editor that such stories are being read by people and are worthwhile for the paper to report. 10. Follow up: Perseverance and tenacity are extremely important qualities for a conservationist. There are no magic bullets to achieve results and little instant gratification. Sometimes it can take months or even years of patient lobbying, persuasion and follow up for good things to happen. Be patient and never give up. Dont allow temporary setbacks to hold you back. Conservation is often an uphill battle that requires knowledge, strategy, good communication skills and persistence.

Most importantly, dont forget to revisit this website in a months time. We plan to upload more useful information, as also, essays by some of the worlds most renowned tiger experts and conservationists. There will also be unique tiger pictures and other fun stuff.

Do not cut down the forest with its tigers and do not banish the tigers from the forest; the tiger perishes without the forest and the forest perishes without its tigers - Mahabharata, 400 BCE, Udyogaparva.