29th July: World Tiger Day

Today is World Tiger Day. Starting from 2010, every year 29th of July is celebrated as World Tiger Day or Global Tiger Day.  In Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit they decided to create awareness about Tiger and the necessity to preserve their habitat because they were very close to extinction.

In 1913 an estimated 100,000 tigers were there in the world.  But today, there are only 3000 tigers and most of the tiger species like Javan tigers, Bali tigers already in the extinct list.

India is having the highest number of tigers which is around thousand. Let us save the majestic animal from extinction and make them double by 2022 as decided at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit. India had started the "Project Tiger" campaign under the then prime minister Indira Gandhi in 1973.

Because Tiger is India's National Animal, I felt compelled to write a small poem about this wonderful animal to create awareness.

Guess Who I am

- Deepthi Sudharsan - 

I am Yellow with black stripes

Hunting in the dead of night,

I crouch and pounce on my prey

Before they take flight

Me and my friends are very few

Victims of mad poaching,

We are losing our hide-outs

To people who are encroaching

If you guessed I am a Tiger

You are surely very bright,

I would like to meet you

But you would die of fright!