Tiger conservation is need of the hour

Visakhapatnam: Marking the International Tiger Day, Indira Gandhi Zoological Park in coordination with Paryavarna Margadarsi Visakhi (PMV) took out a rally to create awareness among people on conservation and expansion of wild tiger habitats in Visakhapatnam on Saturday.

Members of PMV and students of AS Raja Junior College, Bharathi Vidyanikethan School and Trinity Public School took part in Tiger Talk and a film was screened for them in Zoo Bioscope as part of International Tiger Day celebrations.

Highlighting the importance of tigers to the students, the PMV members noted that the tigers’ presence indicates the health of terrestrial ecosystem and its declining poses a threat to all life supporting systems such as oxygen, water, food and also human beings.

Pointing out that the tigers are becoming extinct across the world at faster rate than ever, ZOO curator B Vijaya Kumar exhorted the students and visitors to come forward and give their support for the tiger conservation programmes.

The zoo visitors felt that focus should be more on the grass land management by the foresters to maintain the prey base for predators to prosper besides taking stringent action against the poachers of wild animals.

Creating awareness about conservation of tigers and terrestrial ecosystems among the masses is the need of the day which would also benefit mankind.

At present, Vizag Zoo houses two female Royal Bengal tigers, two white male tigers and three white female tigers and a two-months-old white cub.