India Pledges $13 Million To Protect Endangered Tigers

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 23:32:33 +0000
Nidhi Sharma - AHN News Writer

New Delhi, India (AHN) - Following pressure from international conservation groups to save the last remaining tigers in India, New Delhi plans to spend more than $13 million establishing a special ranger force to protect the wild cats. The numbers of tigers in India are on the decline mainly due to poorly armed and badly paid guards, mismanagement, corruption, rampant poaching and destruction of their habitat.

According to latest figures, there are just 1,411 tigers left in India. The number is half since 2002 census and the decline is even more worrying considering India had about 40,000 tigers a century ago.On Friday, Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram announced a $12.5 million one-off grant, mainly to raise, arm and deploy a special Tiger Protection Force. The funding follows the previous announcement just weeks ago of a $153 million program to create new tiger reserves.

In January, India said it would spend an estimated $150 million to save its tigers over the next five years, using some of the money to shift villages and tribal communities out of tiger habitats. It will also establish eight new tiger reserves.

Accepting that the tiger is under "grave threat", Chidambaram told Parliament during his budget presentation for 2008-2009, "The number 1,411 should ring the alarm bell. That is the number of tigers in India."

The bulk of the grant will be used to raise, arm and deploy a special Tiger Protection Force, he said.

Article © AHN - All Rights Reserved