Apr 29 2008
Tigers: The Cats of Yesterday?
Because of the excessive poaching, tigers in India are on the verge of extinction. It is predicted that these tigers will become extinct “within a handful of years”. China and India’s governments have not enforced any laws or consequences to reduce the rapid decline of tigers. In 2006, the U.S. National Geographic estimated that 5,000 to 7,000 Bengal tigers existed in the world and about half of their population resided in India; however, conservationists believe that maybe 2,000 or even several hundred tigers reside in India.
Although trading endangered species is banned under the U.N. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), tigers skins and parts are bought as souvenirs. The only action taken to decrease killings was the Dalai Lama’s denouncement of using tiger skins for Tibetan ceremonial dress. However, researchers found a ceremonial tent that was made out of 108 tiger skins. The tent was several hundred years old, but it had been recently repaired with new skins.
The excessive desire to have tiger skins for décor and souvenirs reminded me of affluenza (the addiction of overconsuming). It is disgraceful that the Chinese and Indian governments are allowing the excessive slaughter of an animal that is already designated as endangered. This excessive poaching connects to how people are depleting natural capital too fast for it to reproduce, and as a consequence we are destroying the world’s biodiversity. I think drastic action needs to take place to stop the increasing decline of Bengal tigers and hopefully the release of CNN’s article will cultivate a change.
The extinction of an animal has consequences to the food chain and the environment. Every animal has something to offer, which supports every living things survival on this planet. The tigers are apart of this delicate balance. These cultures need to take a moral and aesthetic approach and simply allow the tigers to exist for their beauty and purpose.
