Aircel has partnered with NDTV to amplify the cause of Save Our Tigers by raising awareness about the state of tigers in our country and gathering public support for tiger conservation. The campaign aims to provide a platform to tiger conservationists and concerned citizens to raise issues, voice their opinions and contribute to the cause. Amitabh Bachchan too has joined the initiative as the Campaign Ambassador and is also showing his support for the cause through his blog.
The Year 2 of the Aircel-NDTV 'Save Our Tigers' campaign is now underway. A series of special tiger programmes are being aired focused on issues and challenges being faced by the various tiger reserves and the forest department in protection of the big cats.
The highlight of the Year 2 of the campaign is the 12 hour Telethon which was held on 15th July, 2012. The event included live reports from tiger reserves, ground-level events like art, theatre, etc. and host of celebrity performances. Amitabh Bachchan, the campaign ambassador along with Prannoy Roy and Vikram Chandra hosted the show live from Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve. Top tiger experts from the country came together too and appealed to the nation and the government to do their bit to help safeguard our national animal.
The Telethon was a massive success and nearly 58 million rupees has been raised. The funds collected will be put into use to create "Tiger Defense Units" in major tiger reserves across the country. These units will comprise of men and machines, including the Rapid Response Units created in Year 1, that will work in concert with and will strengthen existing protection mechanisms in India's tiger reserves.
On this episode of the Save Our Tigers Campaign, The Rapid Response Unit Recap Special takes you on a journey to showcase what the Rapid Response Unit is. During the course of the episode we highlight the importance of the vehicle, the result of the fundraising done during the first telethon from Pench in 2010. In 2011 the RRU's were handed over the various tiger reserves across the country. The episode culminates with the Impact the RRU's have made on the ground from different national parks across the nation.
