Let's keep these fabled tigers burning bright

The Province
Published: Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Despite being the national animal of India and receiving apparently strict government protection, the Bengal tiger continues to face an uncertain future.

Many blame poaching. And one of the problems seems to be that India's rural poor are often among the last to benefit from high-end tourism in the parks where the tigers reside.

According to London's Daily Telegraph, the number of wild Indian tigers is estimated at 3,600 -- down from 40,000 in 1900, but up from 1,200 in the 1970s. Many conservationists, however, put the real figure at half that number.

In an effort to bolster the tiger population, the Indian government has now set up a powerful new wildlife crime bureau. We wish it all possible success.

These magnificent animals deserve a better fate than to be hounded into extinction.