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.
Aircel and NDTV have joined hands to launch the Aircel- NDTV Save Our Tigers campaign in March 2010 with the aim of spreading awareness about the state of the big cats in the country and the crisis they were in. At the time the latest tiger estimation had put the number at 1411. The campaign is supported by superstar Amitabh Bachchan, Sanctuary Asia, India’s premier wildlife magazine and the Wildlife Conservation Trust, an organization deeply involved in conserving tiger habitats across the country. The campaign provides a platform to tiger conservationists for issues to be raised, engage key stakeholders in discussions and provide concerned citizens an opportunity to voice their opinions and contribute to the cause.
In season 4 we continue our efforts to travelling to tiger reserves around the country, profiling them and examining the conservation issues on the ground, from how the forests department copes with the protection of both the tiger and it's habitat and the challenges they face. While celebrating the numbers rise, we are also looking at how this rise in numbers actually puts forward bigger challenges. As tiger numbers increase, more space is required for them, more protected areas where they can move in safety, more awareness amongst people so that people are not only included as an integral part of saving tigers but benefit from living with these big cats as opposed to only being in conflict with them.
Season 4 hopes to put forward the picture of increasing conflict while also examining places where the right steps have helped secure the tiger's future and why continued support of local communities can make all the difference between rising or dropping tiger numbers.
We travel to Bor a new reserve, declared only last year, where four new cubs hold the flag for future, then onto Umred-Karandla , a wildlife sanctuary which has hopes of being declared a tiger reserve , with their star attraction, tiger Jai....the true beast of the jungle, Ranthambhore, where the Ustad saga rocked the conservation world and indeed the country. The Terai arc, one of the best landscapes for the future of tigers and the western ghats, where indigenous sholigas prove that tigers and some people can live in harmony as long as those people have a mutual respect and love for nature.
In addition to our in-depth editorial coverage to create awareness, this year we also celebrate the success story of India’s rising tiger numbers. Our continuous efforts have borne results and with the tigers numbers steadily rising in the past years to now 2226, it makes us happy and proud to have played our small part in this success story. We will celebrating this success on the ‘WORLD TIGER DAY’ on 29th July 2015 with a special event. Hosted by NDTV’s Vikram Chandra, the event will feature a photo exhibition, discussion on ‘The Future of Tigers in an India pushing a huge development agenda: Can development and growing tiger numbers co-exist?’. We would also be recognizing the contribution of some of the most committed forest officials in India.
Save Our Tigers Campaign: History of year 1
On this episode of Save Our Tigers, NDTV highlights the success of the first year from the signature drive that brought the entire nation together to pledge their commitment for tigers. Campaign ambassador Amitabh Bachchan joined the initiative in 2010 to host the first ever 12-hour live telethon from Pench, Madhya Pradesh. Highlights from this telethon include some of the biggest conservationists, celebrities and politicians coming together on one platform to voice their concerns for the national animal.
